Cafe Complex
by sagexas
Summary: Connie owns, runs and manages her own cafe. Life is good, if a little boring. Everything she knows gets turned upside down when the she inadvertantly ends up saving the life of the Tyrant Cell who was supposed to have died over a centuary ago. A/U, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Saved

It had been a long day for Connie, as business had been good, mostly due to the parade that had taken place for most of the day in the city nearby to where her cafe was situated. Many new, jovial faces had passed through her doors today, happy to spread their goodwill and cheer the festivities had given to them. She smiled at her reflection in the coffee machine as she removed the Group Handles and ran them under hot water, before dunking them in the chemical solution to soak. She looked tired, her hair, normaly tied back, was coming out in stray bunches. She ran her hand absently back, trying to smooth them down, with little success. She sighed, giving up, and returned to her duties. Her two helpers had left over an hour ago, leaving her with what remained of the tidy up. A lot of it could have waited until morning, but Connie's pride wouldnt let her rest till every milk jug had been washed and put back in the fridge, ever piece of cutlery back in their drawers, and every dish scrubbed clean.

The sun was well and truly down when Connie finally decided she had done enough. She switched her coffee machine off to let it rest for the night, ran a damp cloth one last time over the wooden bench top and checked to make sure the cash register's drawers were locked, before she headed to the front door. With an almost, sorrowful glance outside, she flicked the lights off, watching as the pavement outside went from being illuminated in the warm glow of the cafe's lights, to being barely distiguishable black blurs. The only street light on the corner was on the other side of the street and it had been broken for two weeks now. Connie made a mental note to call the power company again in the morning, and she turned the dead lock on the doors, and headed back into the cafe. Through the kitchens, out the back door, careful to make sure she left it properly locked, before turning to go up stairs.

Connie's apartment was directly above the cafe, accesable by a flight of heavy pine stairs behind the cafe. The apartment itself was cosy, with thick carpet in the lounge with comfortable, although aged sofa chairs, a small bathroom, a small kitchen, a main bedroom with a spare room, and a study. The part that Connie liked the most though, was her balcony that overlooked the entire street that ran into the heart of the city. When she looked straight out, she could see the river behind the apartments and office buildings opposite her cafe, a beautiful expanse of silvery water that calmed her at the mere sight of it.

Connie stripped down and slipped into a steaming shower, which helped ease her aching muscles. She was feeling thoroughly tired now, but instead of bed, she headed into her study, flicked her PC on and began to crunch that day's numbers into her computer. She hated to leave the invoicing and the staffs pays to accumulate, because she knew how scarily they could get out of hand and pile up.

Connie glanced at the clock. It was nearly midnight. Connie groaned to herself. She would have to get up in five and a half hours to begin the preparations for tommorrow's business. She sighed, shut her PC down and headed back into her bedroom. She threw her bathgown on over her singlet and boxers and stepped out into the freezing cold air that welcomed her on the balcony. She gave a small shiver, but smiled as she took a deep breath of the refreshing air. She hated the day time air, as it smelt dirty. But at night, when the cars were gone and the river was purifying the air, it smelt clean and refreshing. She stared up at the sky. The only downside to living in the city was the distinct lack of stars. Only a few of the brightest stars were visable. One in particular.

Connie's eyes were drawn to this one particular star that shimmered brightest of all. For a lax moment, her mind wondered, how she could have ever missed such a beautiful star. Then reason took over and she realized it wasn't a star at all. It was growing, larger and brighter. Before she could really panic though, whatever it was stopped heading towards her, and headed downwards in a sort of beautiful fiery arch, it smashed into the silvery smooth surface of the river, sending up a massive plume of water that cascaded as a fine mist around the city. Connie gasped, ran down stairs and around the cafe's drive way and across the street. She felt the mist settling around her exposed legs and she gave another involuntary shiver, and picked up her pace. She ran down an alley across the street from her cafe' that she knew from experience, would break out into a walkway that ran along the banks of the river.

Her view changed suddenly from the sides of apartment blocks to the river's expanse, the sound of the water lapping at the sides of the rocks, unusual to her. She stopped, trying to get her bearings. Where had the meteorite gone down? She wasn't sure. The river had swallowed all evidence it had ever been. Feeling slightly disapointed now, and rather chilled, Connie walked towards the river, watching as slowly, the river became smooth once more. She sighed, hugging her bath robe to her cold body, felt rather foolish, knowing how she must look, and turned to leave. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a sudden reflection of white. She whirled back around, took a moment to spot it again, a pale white blob bobbing in the black waters of the river.

With a sickening, stomach lurching feeling, she realized she was looking at a man, floating in the water. Connie, adrenalin suddenly pumping in her veins, searched frantically. There was no body else in sight. She barely gave it a second thought, knowing whole heartedly what she had to do, not particularily looking forward to it though, she tore her bath robe off, left it on the pavement next to the rocks where the river suddenly began. She stared once more at the body in the water, a good thirty feet out from shore, only visable in the star light, and then down at the freezing water below her. Knowing that staring at it wouldn't make it any warmer, she threw herself away from the rocks, into the water. The sudden shock of such icy cold water made her pores retract in sheer agony and protest. She felt her body shaking violently in the cold, but she forced it to move, to obey her commands, and to swim towards the body.

It felt like for ever, but it was only a matter of minutes, before she reached the body, felt her heart lurch as she saw him for the first time up close. She shook it from her system, it couldn't be after all, and if it was, she would deal with it later. She hooked her hand through his and began the strenuous swim back to shore. The man was made of pure muscle and was taller than Connie, making it very hard for her to pull him back to shore. Her aching, protesting, freezing body didn't offer much help.

Finally, she pulled herself out of the water, giving herself a few scrapes on her knees as she climbed the rocks, before turning to pull the man out the water. Another violent jolt as he slid up the rocks, on what looked like two glossy black surfboards that were attatched to his back. She heaved him onto the pavement, where he lay sprawled. She grabbed her bath robe, threw it over his naked body, and she kneeled down next to him, pressed her ear to his chest, and was shocked to hear a steady slow heart beat. She checked his breathing, holding her hand to his mouth, he wasn't breathing. She frowned, forcing herself not to think about _what_ this man was, but that he needed her help, and she moved his head back and leaned over, pinching his nose with one hand, forcing his chin down with the other, and blew hard into his mouth. She let him go, took another deep breath, and blew it back into his mouth. A reaction, his head lolled, he groaned. She let him go, as he sort of rolled to his side, water pouring from his mouth. She caught a glimpse of his brilliant pink eyes in the dim light, he coughed harshly, then fell back into unconsciousness.

Connie checked his breathing again. His breathing was shallow but consistent. She re-covered him back in her bath robe, tucked it tightly around him and then stared around. They were still alone. She stared down at the man who's life she had just saved, and she allowed herself to really see him. There was no doubt, she was sure it was him, but that was impossible. He had died over a centuary ago. But they had taught her about him in school, the evil he had caused, the hopelessness he had evoked in the entire planet, but how he had subsequently helped to bring about global unity at the same time. He was responsible for a massive stock market crash that had led to a depression, he was responsible directly for the deaths of thousands, and through the panic enduced riots, many several thousands more. He was the most feared and hated man to have ever walked the Earth,...

... and she had just saved his life.

_'But it couldn't really be him.'_ Connie tried to reason with herself. _'It's impossible. This is just some sort of freakish coincidence.'_ She bit her bottom lip, gave another violent shiver as a wind blew across her wet icy body, and decided in that moment, that she would have to deal with it later. Her most important mission was to get him back to her apartment, to get them both warm. She thought quickly, ruling out the options as she went, knowing he was way to big for her to carry unaided, and decided to use the cafe's flat bed trolley they used for deliveries and carting heavier things around. She ran back across the street, feeling like her insides were made of lead.

Ten minutes later and she re-appeared with the flat bed trolley and some blankets. It took her some maneovering to get the man onto the trolley, rolling him on his side, so his _wings_ stuck out the side. She threw all four blankets over him, and began to roll him back across the street. She saw someone walking down the street, but they had their back to her and paid her no attention as she rolled the man around the back of the cafe'. With a lot of patience, swearing and trial and error, she managed to get the man up the stairs. She was thoroughly exhausted now, and didn't feel like she could take much more. She dragged her matress off the bed, threw it on the floor and rolled the man off the trolley onto the matress. She covered him with the four blankets and her doona, and for good measure, set her little portable heater up next to him and turned it on to full power. Within minutes the room was toasty and warm, and Connie felt her tiredness sneaking up on her.

She was worried, truly worried. What if it really was _him_? What if that _man_ in her bedroom, with the violet streaks down his face, those brilliant pink eyes, and those shelled black wings was really _**Cell**_, the _Tyrant_, the _Destroyer_, the _Evil Wicked One_ returned to life, and she _Conchobarra Jewel O'Neall_ had just saved his life, and helped him to return to torment the Earth once more? She shivered. No. She had just saved the life of an unfortunate soul who shared a similar appearance to the Tyrant. She had saved the life of a man, who would thank her for her help, and be on his way in the morning, and she, Connie, could get on with life.

She had a quick hot shower to warm up, dressed herself in her warmest Pj's, and made herself a bed on the sofa, using an old pillow and a moth eaten blanket from the spare bedroom. She regretted glancing at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall, that told her that foolishly enough, it was 2:43am and that she was going to have a bad day when she woke up in only a couple of hours. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out, exhaustion and stress over-riding her worry, her doubt and that leaden fear that had wound itself around her heart.

What if?...

--


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner with the Tyrant

Connie woke to the sudden sound of her alarm, a constant loud tone that wouldn't shut up until she flicked it off. She hated the alarm, but the lesser ones didn't rouse her from her exhausted sleep as fully. She yawned, and stretched, barely registering that she was on her couch, instead of in her bed, and instead, fumbled around for the lamp. It was the darkest time of night, before dawn, and the coldest. Connie shivered and set about quickly dressing herself in her long sleeved white shirt, her black sleevelss vest, her black pants and over the top with her black apron with her Cafe's motif on the chest. She brushed her hair, tied it back, and capped it with a berae and fastened her Managers' Name Badge on her left breast. She yawned again, still brain dead, the previous night, barely registering as nightmare. Connie grabbed the keys to her cafe and headed downstairs, still half-asleep.

She was slightly disgruntled to find the back door open, and it took a few minutes to remember that she hadn't shut the back door after she had grabbed the trolley out of the cafe. Then it came flooding back to her like a violent slap to the face. She froze, staring horrified at the roof above her, half expecting a monster to drop through the ceiling, snarling, blowing things up. She swallowed her fear and headed back up the stairs, suddenly conscious of the noise her pine stairs made as she walked up them. She snuck to her bedroom door, pushed it open as quietly as she could, felt the sudden hot blast of air from her little heater, and stared down at the body burried under a mound of clothes. He had a tinge of purplish color in his white face now, and he was sleeping peacefully, taking long deep breathes. Connie had to force herself to stop staring at him and close the door. She headed back down stairs and began the morning preperations, turning her coffee maching on, getting the hopper set up, rinsing the handles out and setting them up along the top of the machine ready for use. She unlocked the cash register and flicked all the lights on and set the dishwasher to start filling up with water.

It was several hours later, Connie, absorbed in what was laying on the floor of her bedroom occupying her mind, barely aware of the mechanical way she prepared the morning food, the coffee and all the serving eqiptment. She was just setting some muffins out on the tray on the bench when the front doors' bells rang, and Connie jumped, slipping on the floor, and falling sprawled on the floor. Her head chef, Simon ran around the corner, helping her to her feet.

"Jee-zus! I've never seen you jump so high Con!" He said in his strong American accent.

"Sorry." Connie mumbled, rubbing her now burning knees that were still raw from the previous night. Simon frowned down at her.

"Man Con, you look dead on your feet." Simon said, his voice full of concern. Connie stared up at him, before glancing at the coffee machines' silver sides that reflected a very tired looking young woman with bags under her puffy eyes and a palid face. She grunted.

"Sorry Simon. I'm all right. I'm just a little distracted." She said absently. Simon frowned.

"I know you've been working hard for this cafe' Con, but you can't work yourself into the ground. Why don't you have the day off. Jess will be here soon, and we'll be fine until the Mark and Sue rock up at Eight. Go back to bed." Connie gave an involuntary jump, which made Simon narrow his eyes. She couldn't hold his scrutinising stare, and nodded slowly.

"Alright. I'll go have a lie down. I'll come back down later, when I'm better rested." Connie forced herself to say. In the two years she had owned the cafe' she hadn't had a day off, except when she had a nasty cold and didn't want to risk contaminating any one esle. She felt unusual, torn between staying and helping out and going back to sleep, although she doubted she could sleep much now anyway. Simon walked her to the back door.

"We'll be fine Connie. Stop stressing out." And he pushed her out the door, closing it behind her. She sighed. She knew Simon _would_ be fine. He had been her best employee since the day they had opened. Reluctantly, she headed back up the stairs. She closed the door behind her, took off her uniform, and put on a long sleeved cotton shirt and a pair of cargo pants and sat down on the sofa. She couldn't stop staring at her bedroom door and hated herself all the more for it.

It seemed to loom out at her, intimidating. Eventually, she found herself standing in front of it, her hand on the door handle. She took a deep breath, and let herself in. She closed the door behind her, the room was dark and warm. The curtains were drawn. She knelt down next to the Man's head, studying his face. He was still breathing slowly, steadily, unmoving otherwise. She reached out and touched his hair, a feather light touch. Cell had never had hair, instead he had worn what looked like a shelled head-crest. She was torn between her curiosity and her fear. This was the face she had been taught to hate and fear throughout her school life. There wasn't a person alive today who didn't know who Cell had been and what destruction he had been responsible for. Yet she was also sure that Cell couldn't be alive. Hercule Satan, still revered as one of Earth's greatest Heros whom had ever lived, had defeated Cell. Had wiped him from the face of the Earth. Hadn't he? There was really little proof, except that Cell had never been seen again after that day.

The room was so invitingly warm, and Connie couldn't stiffle her yawn. She felt her eyelids drooping again, but she refused to sleep in the same room as Cell, just in case, and she withdrew her hand and stood up and left the room again, closing the door behind her, heading back to her sofa. She was unaware that two brilliant pink eyes had watched her leave the room.

Connie woke up feeling considerably better. Her headache had gone and she felt fully rested. She closed her eyes again, letting her mind wander. Her mental notes came flooding back to her. She had work to do, she knew, but her bed was so comfortable and warm, and snuggly, and she didn't want to get out. Then her mind suddenly did a double take and her eyes flew open in a sort of panic. Sure enough she was in her bed with her doona over her, the curtains drawn over the balcony door and windows so she coulnd't gauge the time. She leaned over the bed, stared down at the floor. Her matress was back on the bed, that she was now sitting in.

"But!" She exclaimed to herself, staring around, before she slipped out of bed. Another jolt of realization as she spotted her bath gown hanging up on the door knob, looking rather crisp and white. She walked over to it, fearing to touch it, as if it was contaminated. Eventually she picked it up, running it through her fingers. It felt as it always had, soft and inviting. But it smelt like... She held it to her nose and took a deep breath. It smelt good. A faint smell she couldn't place. She swallowed, realizing what she was doing, and she put the robe on her bed, mentally berrating herself for her own foolishness. The man had probably gone by now...

She was still wearing her cargo pants and her long sleeved shirt, but she was afraid of what she would find when she walked out the door. She steeled herself, and headed into the lounge room. It looked like she had left it, but with one distinct difference, there was a man sitting on the sofa, staring at her, a remote in his hand, a slight smirk on his face, wearing her ex's clothes that she had unceremoniously boxed in the spare bedroom. She locked eyes with him, unable to form words in her mouth, unable to willingly break the silence as they stared at each other. Her eyes wide with the nervous shock of seeing him, the smirk on his face making him unmistakable and removing all doubt from her mind.

"Good Evening." He said. It was _his_ voice from the broadcast they had played in school, deep and proper English sounding. His sudden adressal seemed to stir her from her inability to move.

"G...Good evening." She replied, hating herself for her weak sounding voice. She wished he'd stop staring at her. It was unnerving to say the least. The silence resumed for what felt like an eternity. Finally he moved, breaking his eyes from hers as he moved, slowly, and deliberately, using what looked like a lot of effort, to push himself to his feet. She realized suddenly, almost as a relief, that he was very weak from his ordeal. He moved slowly around the small coffee table in the middle of the room. He stopped in front of her, and she realized how very tall he was. A good foot at least, as she was forced to stare up at him.

"I owe you my thanks." he said. She felt her heart sink as she heard the cold iciness in his voice, saw the smugness in his eyes.

"I...I couldn't just let you drown." She said slowly. He laughed at this, suddenly and haughtily as if she had just told some legendary joke. She frowned at this, and when he finally stopped, he stared at her, a glint in his brilliant eyes.

"But you could have." He said it so simply, as if it was the ultimatium of the centuary. "No doubt any body else who had been in the same prediciment would have simply turned their backs." His statement seemed to confirm it beyond doubt, and she felt the dread tighten it's tendrils aorund her heart, but before she could stop herself, she blurted it out.

"So you really are him? Your..." She couldn't say his name. Too long fear of this man had been drilled into the people of the earth.

"Oh yes. I am Cell." He said simply, proudly, yet he looked away, back at the TV that was on, but the sound was off. Connie stared down at her feet, feeling small in the presence of the Tyrant. He moved away, back to the sofa, sat himself down slowly, seemed more at ease when he was resting. He was tall enough, that his wings hung over the back of the sofa, barely touching the carpet. Connie watched them, still in utter shock that she, Connie, was playing host to the most hated man in the world. If news got out... She shuddered at the thought at what people would do to him, do to _her_! She couldn't dwell on that though. She turned back to him, watched him as he unblinkingly stared at the news on the TV. He had a slight frown on his face.

"Erm... Now... Now what?" She asked. He turned those eyes on her, felt them pierce her.

"I'll assume you mean, now what am _**I**_ going to do?" Cell asked. Connie gave a slight nod. Cell's face deepened into a frown of frustration.

"Unfortunately, my... _ordeal_ has left me in a rather weakended condition. I'll need to regain my strength before I can go and say... conquer the world." Cell said a little too pointedly. He watched as Connies' face drained of color at his words, before he smirked again and chuckled. "You, will subsequently, be playing host to me, for a while." He turned back to the TV, as if to say the conversation was over. Connie felt her legs turning to jelly and made for one of her single seater sofa's opposite Cell's, and collapsed into it.

"Just like that? You're going to try to destroy the world again?" Connie knew her voice sounded desperate, but she didn't care. She stared, almost pleading at Cell. He turned back to her, smirking.

"Well, as I said, I'm weak at the moment. You could always kill me while I'm vulnerable and save the world." The impact of these words seemed to slap Connie hard.

"_K... Kill you__**?!**_" Connie felt her voice crack under the pressure, felt suddenly faint and unsettled. She stared, horrified at Cell, but oddly, she couldn't shake this little voice in her head that kept telling her that there was a very sharp knife in the drawer in the kitchen. All she would have to do is walk over there, grab it and plunge it into his heart. It woulnd't be that hard. Surely...

Cell laughed. It was as if he could read her mind. He shook his head.

"You can't kill me." He said it, knowing full well, that it was true. She let out a slight whimper, her eyes instinctively turning to the phone on the wall in the kitchen. Cell's eyes followed, saw the phone, and he snickered.

"Go on. Call the police. I'm sure they'd believe you." He said tauntingly. Connie swallowed the lump in her throat, her mind already racing. She could tell the police that there was an intruder in her house, keeping her hostage... they would come, they would realize it was Cell in the flesh and then all hell would break loose. She stared back at Cell, his eyes, so full of icy brilliance, and she knew already that the plan would forever be fruitless. If she was going to call 911, she would have done so when he was unconscious on the floor of her bedroom. Besides, she didn't think she could handle the guilt if any of them got injured.

"I won't... But you already knew that." Cell snickered again, his eyes flashing in the lamp light.

"Indeed I do. So you won't kill me, you won't turn me over, what _are_ _you _going to do?" He asked snidely. Connie sighed and hung her head.

"I don't know. You don't leave me much of an option do you?" She said quietly. Cell smirked and settled back against the sofa.

"You could ask me to leave. But then I'd simply infringe upon someone else. Besides, I'm _your_ responsibility. You did _save _me after all." He was taunting her, jeering. She looked back up at him again, knew she was defeated. She couldn't give this enermous burden to someone else. She hoped somehow that she could come up with some miraculous plan before he regained his strength.

Connie felt drained again already. She felt sick, but she also felt hungry. She glanced at the clock on the wall. The cafe would be closed by now. She frowned.

"Alright, I guess you win. But there are a few rules I'd like you to obey while your here." She added, staring at Cell, sadly. It only seemed to make him smirk more.

"Fire away." He looked far too comfortable in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, that she assumed he had helped himself to. He looked, almost... normal. As if to ruin the affect, he shifted his wings that he had roughly torn holes for, to make himself more comfortable, bringing Connie back to the sad, awful reality.

"Well, for a starters, I run a business downstairs. I don't think you appearing would be very good for business, so I want you to stay up here, out of sight." Cell gave a curt nod.

"Thats' within reason. What kind of business, if I might ask?" He asked. Connie had the sudden distinct impression of a cat, the way he inclined his head to the side, the curious expression on his face.

"I run a cafe. It's my life, and although I can't stop you, I don't want you just to storm all over it." He smirked in response. "If your going to be living here as well, it would be good if you could help out around the house. Also, no wrecking anything, no blowing things up, and definately, no hurting anyone while you call this house home." She frowned, glaring at him, as to emphasize the point. "You may be a mass murdering, evil tyrant Cell, but you will be civil while you live in my house, or you can leave right now." Cell's eyes narrowed and he grinned. The look was frightening. Connie felt the confidence that she had somehow managed to muster in the last few minutes, burn to ashes.

"You do realize you can't actually enforce any of these rules." Cell's voice was like icy water over Connie's mind. She nodded tersely.

"I realize that but I have this distinct impression, that if nothing else, your a man of your word." Cell laughed.

"Well spotted. Well, your rules, you realize, mean that you are essentially _forcing_ me upon your company for the next few days, being confined in this small apartment. I would request, therefore, that you provide me with entertainment, and information, lest I become destructive due to boredom." Connie felt her heart skip a beat.

"_What.._." She couldn't say it. Cell snickered evily.

"Information being unlimited access to you internet connection, magazines, newspapers and your Television set. Entertainment,... could be anything." He had a sort of knowing glint in his eye, as he watched her reaction. Connie sighed heavily and hid her head in her hands.

"I suppose that seems fair. Within reason." She mimicked him. As if to signal the conclusion of their agreement, Connie's stomach gave a particularily loud rumble, and Cell's eye brow arched.

"I do think some sustanance would be a welcome revere." He said simply. Connie nodded and shakily stood to her feet.

"I'm going to go downstairs, make sure the cafe is locked up. Then you can come down stairs and I'll make us some dinner." Cell nodded slowly, but said nothing as Connie headed out the door.

Several minutes later and she reapeared in the doorway. She looked worn, but she wore a forced smile.

"Come on. I'll show you my pride and joy."

Connie led Cell down the stairs into the back door of the cafe. He said nothing, simply took it all in, before heading through the kitchen into the cafe itself. Most of the decor was old wooden panneling, the cafe's interior a giant dome shape, with booths around the outside of the rounded walls, and tables with comfy looking chairs arranged in inviting angles, in the middle of the floor. A low chandeleir with electric bulbs cast a warm light, reflecting off the wood, making the light golden brown. Cell walked around the counter slowly, stopped and studied the utensils and the Racillio coffee machine intently.

"Interesting set up. But you pull it off nicely. The place is inviting."

"Thanks." Connie said with a slight hint of pride in her voice. Finally Cell turned his attention back to Connie, and motioned towards the kitchen.

"After you." He said. She nodded and led them back into the kitchen. There was two main areas, the preperation kitchen, where the food was cooked and stored, with a walk in freezer and a walk in fridge, stove, deep fryer, oven and microwave. The other section was the clean up, where a massive super sized dishwasher sat on the bench top, with a simple rail system, where you loaded one section up, then slipped it into the dishwasher, and it came out the other side sparkling.

Connie began to move around the kitchen, grabbing ingredients from the fridge and set about working them. Cell watched intently, not saying anything. Forty minutes later, and Connie served them lasagne, with a side salad and two cups of coffee with some wholemeal sliced bread at a small table in the cafe. Cell sat down, his wings fanning out behind him before tucking themselves over the chair.

"I'm never going to get used to that." She said absently. Cell smirked.

"It's easy to forget that I'm _**not**_ human." He said casually before spooning a large chunk of lasagne into his mouth. Connie couldn't help but notice, that for all his manners and properness, he was rather sloppy with his table manners, like he had never used a knife and fork before. She voiced her observation, only to receive a rather nasty glare from Cell whose mouth was currently full.

"I haven't used a knife and fork before." He said as he swallowed his food. "I've never had a need to." Connie frowned.

"How so?" He smirked.

"Because I've never _needed_ to eat before." He paused, then added, "with the exception of when I was in my original form, and I preyed on human's for their bio-essence." Connie gave an involuntary shudder and pushed the remains of her dinner to the side. Cell snickered.

"Your a very... er... unusual being. Not having to eat, I mean." Connie said after a few minutes of awkward silence. Cell smirked, finished chewing his food.

"My body, when in top form, has a massive store of energy, of the likes you couldn't fathom. It generates enough energy to fuel my body without the requirement of outside assistance. I get that from the genetics of Piccolo." Connie felt suddenly small, and confused.

"Piccolo?" She asked.

"Yes. I am the result of a very complex design, that utilizes the best attributes from a host of alien species. For example, from Piccolo, the Namekian, I get my ability to regenerate, almost instantly, including the ability to regrow whole limbs, and heal otherwise fatal wounds. From him, I also get my ability to self-sustain my energy levels." Connie looked horrorfied.

"Ability to regenerate? You mean... Even if I had stabbed you, it would have been pointless?" Cell laughed haughtily again.

"Not completely pointless. It demonstrated your stability, in my presence, and your trustworthiness." Connied felt very foolish again, felt her face flush, as if it could ever have been so simple.

"...Oh." Was all she managed. Another stretch of silence, Connie, sipping her coffee. Finally Cell finished his food, and began instead, to eat Connies' left overs.

"You know, I don't even know your name. Although, I have a strong inclination that your first name is Connie." Cell pointed at the cafe's name isignia on the door, _Connie's Cafe'_. Connie smiled.

"Your mostly right. My name is Conchobarra Jewel O'Neall, although everyone calls me Connie." Cell locked eyes with her again, a slight hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Conchobarra. Irish, meaning strong willed." Connie smiled.

"You know your Irish folk lore." She said. Cell grinned.

"Theres much I know. It's programmed into my very being." Cell tapped his temple with his free hand. Connie frowned. Cell was incredibly arrogant...

"I still don't understand. What _**ARE**_ you?" Cell chuckled.

"_**I**_ am a bio-mechanical _android_. I was _created,_ not born, by the good _Doctor Gero_. He made me using the **DNA** of an assortment of alien species. _Ice-jins_, who gave me the ability to survive anywhere, including the depth of space, _Sayains_, who gave me their remarkably hardy skins and their ability to get stronger, the closer to death they come, although they also gave me their remarkable pride and stubborness, the _Namekians_, who I've mentioned, make it very hard for me to die, _Humans,_ of course, who give me their ability to adapt to most enviroments, and their resourcefullness, and a host of lesser important crittors. Before I was even born, Gero's computer downloaded all the information that I would need to survive in this world, including geography, history, the ability to speak almost any language, remarkable mathematics, politics, economics, science, etcetera." He finished rather suddenly.

Cell spooned another mouthful into his mouth, watching the awe-struck Connie as she simply stared at the man that was no man at all, but a sort of biological _super-being._

"It was no wonder you were hard to kill last time around." Cell snickered, but Connie saw the flash in his eye, some hidden memory.

"Yes. Irritating that i would be defeated by my own ego." Cell muttered. Connie frowned.

"How?" Cell's face fell slightly.

"I forced Son Gohan into a corner, tortured his friends, toyed with him, to force his power out. If I had just killed him when he was on his knees, I would have conquered Earth over a centuary ago." Connie was confused further.

"_**Son Gohan**_? I thought that Hercule Satan defeated you. At least, that's what history says." Connie was taken back by the sudden outburst of ridiculing laughter that eminated from Cell.

"You mean to honestly tell me that after all this time, that weak pathetic excuse for a man has taken credit for all of Gohan's work?" Cell lost himself to laughter again. "Hercule Satan was so weak, he wasn't worth my time to _kill_ him!" Connie stared at Cell, stunned to say the least, that history had been lied to so utterly by it's hero. Cell finally finished his food, skulled his coffee and yawned deeply.

"Well, I feel considerably more satisfied. Let's say we call it a night? After all, I imagine you'd have to work tommorrow morning." Connie gave him a wry smile.

"Yes. It's Saturday though so It's only a half a day opening times." Cell smirked.

"Fair enough. Although I still recommend we retire."

It was an hour later, after Connie had made sure the cafe was locked up, and ready, she had had a shower, and wished Cell a pleasant night, she had retired to her bedroom. She heard Cell settle on the couch, heard the low whispers of the TV, and gave herself a wry smile. If she had known a few days ago, that she would be sharing a house with Cell, the evil Tyrant, she would have laughed and said that it wasn't possible. Oh well, what did she know anway?

--


	3. Chapter 3

Common Courtesy

Connie awoke to the sound of her alarm, feeling somehow in high spirits. She allowed a few minutes for the past few days to catch up with her, before she climbed out of bed, stretched and began to dress. She felt apprehensive, but although she couldn't really explain to herself why, she felt hopeful too. Her arguments and excuses in her mind about what she was going to do if Cell did try to destroy the world sounded feeble to her, and pointless. She pushed the terrifying history of what he had done when he had lived last time from her mind, and focused instead on what would happen now. She smiled absently to herself, as she realized that, despite the reign of horror Earth had suffered at his hands, he had been given a second chance, and she was a little hopeful that she could make him see that.

She ran a hand absently through her messy hair and opened the door to her bedroom. The lounge was spotless, the TV on but muted, casting an eerie flickering silent glow around the room. Connie had never been messy, but even she was shocked as to how every book was on it's bookshelf perfectly, how all of her little china dog ornaments were arranged perfectly on the cabinets shelf and how her kitchen bench had no dirty dishes piled up, waiting for her attention. Her reverie was suddenly broken as her field of vision was suddenly taken up by Cell who calmly offered her a steaming mug of tea. She mechanically took it, and stared up at him, awe struck.

"You cleaned my home..." She said quietly. He chuckled at her reaction.

"It was apart of our agreement." He said simply, them moved away from her, back to his favourite sofa. Connie couldn't help notice that he moved less gingerly, that his aura was even more imposing, yet he seemed content. She pushed her confusion at just being served tea from the Tyrant away, and took a deep sip. It was good tea at that.

Connie headed into the bathroom, performed her morning abdulations, brushed her teeth and hair, tying it back, before she emerged again, throwing on her apron and her berae, before finally heading to the door. She stopped on the landing, turned back to Cell, who was staring over his shoulder at her.

"Thanks for the tea." She said, unable to hide her gentle shock. He chuckled, ruining the pleasantness of the moment. He smirked.

"Your welcome." his voice sounded far too cold, and Connie couldn't help but shiver, before she closed the door, and headed down the stairs.

Connie set about her morning preperations, and oddly enough, couldn't help smiling. She was more prepared when a few hours later, Simon walked in the door. He smiled at Connie, looking pleased.

"You look a lot better than yesterday." He said. Connie smiled back.

"Cheers." She said, a little flatly. "How was yesterday? I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to come down when you were still here." Simon grinned.

"It was fine. Nothing bad happened, except we mixed up a couple of coffee orders. Now stop fussing." Simon headed towards the kitchen, where he would beging the breakfast ritual. Opening time was in half an hour. Connie smiled to herself as she spotted Mark, her Waiter, slash, cashier heading across the street.

"Simon, I'll be back in five. I'm just going down the street to grab the papers."

"Right." Simon called out of the kitchen's serving window.

Connie greeted Mark on the way out, and headed around the side of the cafe grabbing an empty fruit box from the pile of cardboard, ready to be recycled. She headed down the street towards the city, feeling a little elated. She spotted her objective as she rounded the gentle sloping corner. It was a news vendor, already open with his little stall, selling the Weekend edition newspapers and the week's edition magazines. Connie grabbed her usual four papers, the financial papers and a couple of magazines that she always grabbed for her customers, but then she grabbed several others as well. Health, Science, Fashion, Special Interest, Sports, Cars, Decorating, Cooking, it didn't matter, she threw it in her box.

"Bit more than usual, eh Connie?" Stuart the stall's owner and operator asked as she walked up to his little counter. Connie smiled.

"i've er... got a sick friend with me at the moment, and I wanted to get him some reading material to stop him getting bored." Stuart chuckled.

"Say no more." He reached around behind him to a small stand full of puzzle books, and grabbed a handful of Sudoko and Crosswords, throwing them in the box as well. "That will help time fly by for him." Connie beamed.

"Thanks Stu." She handed over her money, and then began the trek back to her cafe. So much paper in the box made it feel like a tonne, and the going was slow. But she got there in the end. She walked in the cafe, smiled at Mark who was setting up the cash register, and at Sue the Kitchen hand who must have arrived while she was gone.

"Mornin' boss." Sue called with a playful glint in her eye.

"Good Morning Sue. Don't call me boss." She added with an equally playful glint in her eye.

Connie dumped her newspapers and magazines for her customers on the counter, then headed through the kitchen.

"Bit of reading material?" Simon asked as she walked past. Connie smiled at him, but said nothing, and headed out the back door and up the stairs. As she stepped onto the landing, the door opened and Cell leaned down, took the box out of her hands as if it weighed nothing at all, and supporting it in one hand, he began rumaging through it a glint in his eyes as he pulled out one of the science magazines. He showed her the cover, and she laughed.

It supported a full page sized photo of green speckled rhinocerous beetle that had only just been discovered in some remote location. The name of the bug was in big bold letters under the picture, _**Cellectivous**_. She chuckled to herself, before Cell headed back into the apartment. Connie didn't make any attempt to follow, but headed back downstairs. She had work to do, knowing that her first few customers would be walking through the doors, any minute now.

It was just after noon when Connie decided to take a break, and she headed upstairs. The pile of reading material stood on the coffee table, all looking rifled through. She headed over to the stack, saw the puzzle books with a pen next to them, and picked them up. She couldn't hide her shock, as she realized that every single puzzle in all the books were completed.

"I do appreciate the books. It was entertaining for a few hours." Connie turned. Cell was standing in the kitchen. He was wearing a pair of track pants, and was still soaking wet. She assumed he had just come out of the shower. He stepped out from behind the bench, two plates in his hands. He offered one to Connie, and was a little amazed to see remarkable looking brushcetta staring back at her. She stared confused at Cell, who in turn picked up the cook book she had given him, showing her the recipe for the simple, delicious italian dish.

Connie sat down in one of her armchairs and took a bite out of her lunch, and was even more shocked, that it was completely and utterly delicious.

"I should make you my chef! This is great." She said a little zealously. Cell smirked, and ate his in only a couple of bites. Connie was still enjoying hers, when Cell stood up and headed back towards the kitchen. Connie's mind was still set on her food, before she realized she was staring at Cell's back. The long black shelled wings, that hung angled out, a nasty looking scar sitting between them.

"You have a scar." She said, pointing at his back. Cell glanced back at her, then at the reflection in the microwave door, saw the scar and gave a small frown.

"Odd." He muttered. His face seemed to fall into a sort of snarl as he concentrated. Connie felt the room seemed to tense up around her, and noticed Cell begin to glow. Suddenly, without any warning, a syringe like tail burst from between his wings, nestling its'self comfortably there, as if it had always been.

Connie leaped to her feet a little too fast and fell over the coffee table in front of her, sending the magazines sprawling across the floor. Cell snickered at her as she sat back up again, staring horrorfied at him.

"What the hell was that?!" She yelled, feeling frightened.

"I regenerated my tail." He said simply. He walked to her side, offered her his hand. She stared at him, unsure why that had freaked her out so much. She knew he was capable of regeneration. He had told her so. She just never thought to actually see it. Finally, aware she was being rude, she took his hand. With almost no physical exertion on his behalf, he pulled her to her feet. She couldn't help notice the coolness of his hand. She let him go and gave him a sort of nod of thanks, before she busied herself, piling up the magazines.

"Have you read all of these?" She asked absently, trying hard to not to stare at the little yellow syringe like tail that she could see poking out of his back now.

"Yes." it was as simple as that. Connie sighed to herself.

"I better get going. Still have work to do. The cafe closes in two hours, then it's about an hour or so of clean up..." She didn't know why she was telling him. It just felt good to talk, to help put distance between the memory of that yellow tail just bursting out of his back like that. Reminded her too much of the aliens movies. Cell watched her. She was trying to pull herself together again, but it was hard in Cell's company. He wouldn't stop staring at her, looking cold and merciless. Finally she hurried from the room, and back downstairs to where her now, simple and ordinary looking life awaited her.

It was very late afternoon when Simon finally left the cafe, leaving Connie alone. She locked the front door behind him, and headed back towards the kitchen and nearly screamed when she Cell standing in the corridor.

"What if someone saw you?!" She couldn't contain her anger. Cell snickered.

"I knew there was nobody here." He tapped his temple again with one hand. "I can sense people's energy, weak as you all are. I knew you were alone." Connie felt only a little assured, but fairly frustrated.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Cell gave an arrogant shrug.

"I'd doubt it." Connie frowned, and stepped around him, heading to her little office. She gathered up her invoicing and put it in a neat pile on the bench next to the door, before she headed back to the counter. She began to pull the coffee machine apart, dunking the handled in the solution to soak, purging the steam wands before wiping it down then flicking it off.

Connie was very aware that Cell was watching her as she worked, counting out the cash register and printing out the reports, which she added to her pile of invoicing. She then walked around the tables in the cafe area, made sure they all had sugar, salt and pepper for the next morning, before she headed into the kitchen. Simon was good, in the fact that he always made sure there was no mess for her to clean up. Only a few milk jugs and some left over cutlery needed to be run through the dishwasher. Which Connie did. With the dishwasher humming away, she turned back to Cell, but he was gone. She walked out into the cafe, saw him standing at the counter, his legs apart, arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed. He could have been mistaken for sleeping. Connie felt relieved though, and turned, headed back into the kitchen, to finish up.

When she was finally done, the sun was disappearing behind the river, leaving only a slightly pink glow in the fading light.

"I'm done." She said finally. Cell hadn't moved in all the time she had been cleaning. Now his brilliant magenta pink eyes opened slowly, and he smirked, but he didn't say anything. Connie threw her cleaning cloth on the bench and smiled at him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked casually. Cell's face fell slightly.

"I am fine. My strength is returning. But I am still not ready to leave, if that is what you were enquiring about." Connie's smiled faded.

"Actually, i was just curious as to how you were feeling." Cell smirked.

"You don't want me to leave?" Connie felt as if someone had poured cold water down her spine.

"It's not that. I... Well you've been helpful and all, and... Well... I... Erm... You are a Tyrant Cell. I can't really just forget that. But in this life time of yours, you've been helpful... And well, I've sort of enjoyed the company too.. I just... Well..." She trailed off. She didn't know how she really felt, knew that she wanted him gone, but at the same time, liked being able to keep an eye one him, and he _had_ been helpful. Cell's arrogant smirk was there, a glint in his eyes.

"I see." Was all he said, his pride, his utter self-absorbtion there in those two words. She frowned at the look he gave her.

"I really don't get you." She said after a while. He tilted his head to the side. "Well most of my life, you've been a figure head in history as being the worst that anybody can be, the ultimate evil, and what not. But your here, your living in my home, and personally, aside from being arrogant, you really aren't a bad guy. I mean hell, you made me _tea_." Cell laughed again, and she knew he was enjoying this.

"Yes. Something most people take for granted is manners. In my previous existance here, nobody was polite to me. Nobody tried to save my life, despite the fact that I wasn't in any real danger. You, Miss O'nealle are as much a paradox to me. You knew who I was, despite that fact, despite who I was, you still chose to render aid. You have been nothing short of polite and hospitable towards me, even though I know you are afraid of me. Because you still have the courage to play with the pleasantries, I have respect for you, and will of course, show to you the same courtesy you have shown to me."

It took a few moments for Cell's words to really sink in to Connie, and she couldn't help but feel proud, and somehow, a little sorry for Cell.

"In short, Miss O'nealle, I will not hurt you, because you will not hurt me." Connie gave a weak and feeble laugh.

"Does that mean that if every one else on this planet refuses to hurt you, that you will leave them alone?"

"No." Cell's voice was full of menace, and finality.

"Oh..." Connie felt small again, realized truly, that she was standing in the presence of a person who could level her cafe if he really wanted to.

"Miss O'nealle,"

"Connie." Connie said mechanically. Cell's face seemed even more menacing then before, as if he was delighted that he had been given permision to call her by her name.

"Connie." He savoured the word on his tongue. "Connie, _you_ have to no reason to fear me." Connie stared, sorrowfully into Cell's eyes, realized his words were supposed to be comforting, but that he, a creature usually so selfish, had missed the point enirely.

"But It's not me that I'm worried about." Cell seemed a slightly bit affronted, but replaced any concern with his trademark smirk.

"You care about the lives of everyone else on this planet?" She locked eyes with his, could see his cold indifference, knew that trully, he didn't care at all and felt another pang of sympathy.

"Yes." It was quiet, but she knew it was true, as her mind flashed through her friends from school, her family, her current friends, the people she knew, even the complete strangers that she saw on the street, her customers... People she would never meet... They all mattered.

"That is pathetic." Connie felt like Cell had just slapped her, and she stood, stunned, staring at him for a moment, as if to check that he hadn't. Then her anger boiled.

"It's not pathetic Cell! It's called compassion, and it's something you should look into! Theres more to life than blowing stuff up and scaring people! It's no wonder you were destroyed last time! How can you honestly say you've lived at all? With all your power, your abilites, your remarkable strength and your incredable intelligence, you could do anything you wanted to, hell you could probably cure cancer if you wanted to, but you..." She stopped, her words choking her. She could feel tears in her eyes, burning her skin, felt her anger boiling, couldn't fathom the utter selfishness of this man in front of her.

Cell looked affronted, but as she had ranted, he had smiled, evilly, thoroghly amused by her outburst. She knew he was enjoying this display, and that's what had cut her off. She felt even more filthy, more angry than before, and worst, she felt like she had let down humanity as a whole. She felt the tears pour down her cheeks now, felt even worse for showing such weakness, and turned, stormed out the cafes' back door, grabbing her invoicing on the way, and made it a point to slam the door as loud as she could before she stormed up the stairs. She threw her invoicing on the table, threw herself into the bathroom and locked the door. She slumped onto the floor, and felt the last of her resolve snap, and she felt the well of emotion in her burst out uncontrolled.

Several minutes later, although it could have been an eternity, Connie heard the door close quietly, heard Cell's footsteps on the carpet, heard the sofa squeak as he sat down on it. She forced herself to regain her composure, yelled at herself mentally for being weak, and foolish, before she forced herself to her feet, stripped naked and climbed into a hot shower, wishing that the water would wash her away down the drain...

It was a good twenty minutes later when Connie had steeled herself to leave. She wrapped the towel around her tightly, opened the door, glared silently at the back of Cell's head, wishing she could bore a hole through it, before she headed into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She sighed deeply, realising she had been holding it in, and sat on her bed. It had been a long day, and she found it hard to believe that she had been hopeful when she had woken up this morning. Cell was only playing nice, out of manners. She snorted to herself in frustratation.

"Like Cell would know manners if they slapped him in the face." She mutered quietly to herself. She felt a tang of guilt again. Cell had been respectful towards her, she knew that, but she couldn't help feeling angry at him. He was such a jerk after all.

Finally, Connie slipped into her PJ's and settled herself into bed, knowing it was unlikely she would get much sleep with her mind racing so badly. Still, she closed her eyes and willed herself into the land of dreams.

--


	4. Chapter 4

Inevitable

Connie awoke before dawn, despite the fact that it was Sunday, and she didn't have to work today. She yawned, stretched and dressed herself in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt with a tiger motif and a pair of sneakers. She walked out to her balcony, and stretched again. It was chilly, but refreshing. She decided she would go and do her laundry, and headed to her door. Then froze. She felt her anger well up in her again at the thought of Cell, but it had abated considerably overnight, and she didn't feel like starting the day with a shouting match. She took a deep breath and stepped out. Cell looked up from the PC on the table, locked eyes with hers, but she glared at him, turned and walked into the bathroom, gathering up all the dirty clothes into her washing basket, then headed for the front door and without a backward glance, down the stairs.

It was a beautiful morning, and she took in deep breaths of the pre-dawn chilly air. There was no one out and about, and she loved that. She headed away from the city and up a side street towards the 24 hour laundry mat that she usually used. She let her mind wander, thinking about Cell. She was still confused, and felt more than a little hurt, but she didn't honestly know why. He had promised he wouldn't hurt her, knew that he was good for his word. But then as she spotted someone leaving the laundry mat, she knew why she was hurt. She was responsible for Cell, which made her responsible for the hurt he inflicted on the people of the world. And she knew things didn't look good at the moment. She sighed, heading into the laundry mat. It was well lit, and there was no one else in there now. She sighed again and began pooling her clothes into the washing machine. She paused at her bath robe, staring at it, before it too got thrown into the washing machine.

Connie fished around for her coins, slipped them into the machine's slot and smiled as the machine sprang to life, filling up with water. She had about 15 minutes to waste now, and she knew there was a good deli that was open around the corner. She smiled and headed out the door, leaving her stuff to wash. She wasn't too concerned about her belongings, as she didn't have anything particularily valuable in there. She headed to the deli. She half way up the dark street when she heard the sound of a trash can being pushed over, and she became suddenly aware of how utterly foolish she was for wandering around in the dark alone.

Feeling suddenly apprehensive, she turned to head back to the laundry mat where the good lighting and the security cameras would act as a deterent. She got about three steps before two blokes rushed at her from the alley way, a hunters' knife in one of their hands. She barely got a scream out before the burly bloke threw his meaty hand over her mouth, stifling her scream. She squirmed, panicking, until she felt the cold blade at her throat. The two blokes dragged her back into the alley way, sniggering. The burly bloke held her, one hand on her mouth, the other holding the knife to her throat. She didn't move, could feel the sharpness of the blade on her skin. The smaller thug rumaged through her jeans, found her wallet and pulled it open.

"Ah damn! Only a twenty!" He said gruffly. The burly bloke grunted angrily.

"Maybe we make 'er pay 'nother way." The smaller one laughed. Connie felt her blood turn to ice as the smaller thug began to reach towards her jeans. Connie levelled a kick directly at the man's lowered face, got him in the chest instead, sending him reeling backwards winded, the thug holding her, tightened his grip as Connie struggled. The knife pierced her skin, just a scratch, but enough to still her. She could feel the warm sting of her blood trickle down her neck.

"Fiesty." The big bloke said.

"Yeah! More fun that way." The smaller one said, licking his lips. He had recovered from the blow, and seemed even more determined.

Connie tried to scream again, it came out as a muffle, instead, bit the man's hand, he yowled in suprise, letting her go, she screamed, and pushed, felt the sting of the knife in her shoulder, cried out and ran, stumbling. She got about ten feet before the smaller one tackled her to the ground. She yowled, squirming. The man suddenly struck her, hard in the back of the head. She felt the world erupt into white dots and blurs and her mind seemed to reel. She was aware distantly of the pain in her forehead where her head had struck the pavement, and of the throbbing agony in the back of her head where the man had punched her. She was aware she a decent cut on her shoulder, aware of the paper cut like sting on her neck, but she couldn't focus and things seemed abstract to her, like they were happening to someone else, and she was just observing.

She was rolled onto her back, the two mens's faces swimming into focus, then back out again. Heard them arguing, felt rough hands at her waist, undoing her jeans, and aware of a glowing yellow meteroite that crashed into the alley behind them.

It took Connie several seconds to regain control over her body, to shake off the daze, and to scramble to her feet. She saw the two men, facing the exact image of the menacing android as he had been shown to Connie in school, with his green speckled armour and his black shelled chest and skull. His eyes locked with Connie, she couldn't form words in her mouth, and her limbs became unresponsive.

"Fuck me! It's _**him!**_" The smaller thug was terrorfied. Cell's face fell into a deep scowl. He glared death at the man, before, faster than Connie could see, smashed the man through the wall of the alley. Connie saw the mangled remains of the man, a bloodied sprawl of broken limbs on the floor of the apartment building foyer. Debris rained down on them. Cell turned to the other man, murder in his eyes. Connie had imagined what Cell would look like when he was killing him, imagined him to enjoy himself, but this, this look in his eyes terrorfied her beyond reasoning, and she knew what was about to happen.

Tears streaming down her cheeks from shock and pain, she screamed,

"No!" Cell's murderous eyes turned to hers. They narrowed, he looked furious, but it was the diversion the man needed. He turned, fleeing. A ball of purest white light appeared in Cell's hand, crackling with raw energy that set Connies' hairs on end.

"No!" She yelled again, desperate. "Don't kill him." She sounded hysterical, felt her voice falter, felt her mind swim out of focus again, and felt her over stressed body give in, and she collapsed, sprawled on the pavement floor. The last thing she saw was Cell lower his arm, his eyes, full of confused concern, that murderous glint gone.

Connie awoke to pain. She groaned loudly, unwilling to open her eyes, as they hurt too much. Her body no longer pumped up on adrenalin and endorphins, now allowed her to feel all the pain of her injuries in one dose. Her shoulder burned, her neck ached, and her head was a pouding agony in her temples. Slowly she forced her eyes open. The curtains were drawn in her bedroom, leaving her in darkness. She was in her bed, and slowly, she sat up. She couldn't help but smile in relief at the welcome sight of a glass of water with a box of pain killers next to it. She downed a couple and drained the glass, feeling slightly better to have liquid in her.

Gingerly, she stood up and headed to her cupboard, opening it to reveal a mirror. She frowned. Her shoulder was bandaged, an adhesive dressing over the graze on her forehead. Her neck had already begun to heal, and had been dabbed with disinfectant, but left uncovered. She was wearing only her panties. She couldn't help feeling a little foolish that Cell had seen her without a shirt on, but knew that it had been needed. She sighed, pulled out some clothes and dressed herself slowly. She headed to the door, and felt the pain killers starting to numb her headache.

Cell was sitting on his chair, arms folded across his chest. His eyes opened as she emerged from the bedroom and locked with hers. She felt a well of conflicting emotions tighten in her chest.

"I... Thanks." She managed, knowing she had to say something. "I kinda guess were even." Cell didn't move, didn't smirk, didn't chuckle like she had been expecting.

"Why didn't you let me kill him?" Cell asked. His voice was low and serious, and Connie realized he had probably been wondering about that for a while.

"I don't want anybody to get hurt Cell." She said, a stabbing pain in her heart as she saw the dead man in her mind. Cell's eyes unblinking, she could feel her resolve starting to strain under that piercing gaze.

"They would have done worse to you." He said simply, pointedly.

"I know. But that doesn't give you the right to kill them."

"Doesn't it?" He was still so serious. Connie was feeling upset.

"No. They never should have tried to hurt me. They were bad men, but you can't go killing people, and trying to justify it. Your just as bad as they are."

"_**No! **__I'm__** NOT!**_" He suddenly stood up, his eyes angry, a frown on his face. The look was frightening. Connie subconsciously stepped back into the doorway of her bedroom. Cell snarled. "I am nothing like those _**animals**_!" Connie swallowed the lump in her throat. She was more terrorfied than she realized, but she swallowed her fear.

"A... Aren't you though?" The look he gave her was mutinous, horrible, but he didn't move. "I... I mean, you kill for pleasure, for sport. Were just things for you to torture at your own leisure..." Connie saw Cell loose his control, threw himself at her, his anger boiling through his skin, making him crackle with power.

Connie yelled as she was pinned against the floor, Cell on top of her, his face contorted with rage beyond words. He snarled at her, but he didn't say anything, glaring at her. She saw that murderous glint again that made his pink eyes look scarlet, bloodied and evil.

"Cell..." She whispered, trying to snap him out of it, terrorfied he was going to kill her. It would be so easy for him, another flash of the dead thugs twisted body. Connie had never been so scared, a being so capable, so designed to destroy so utterly furious. "Cell, please... Your scaring me." She whispered again. He let her go, was out the door before she could even sit up.

--

"Cell where are you?" Connie was getting desperate now. It was getting dark, and several hours had passed since Cell had stormed out. She was terrorfied that he was going to appear on the news, blowing stuff up. Connie sighed to herself, threw herself into the sofa and hugged her knees to her chest. She felt horrible now, and regretted saying those things to him, but at the same time, knew that she was right. What right did he have to get so angry and upset over the thugs when he was no better himself. He had tortured people, killed people, delighted in their terror. True she had never heard of him actually raping anyone, but then again, he wouldn't have left any one alive to tell... Connie shuddered at the thought. She was still shocked at the days' events, felt utterly awful and humiliated.

Connie tried to force herself not to think about it, and set about setting her PC up in the study again, and dumped the collective pile of invoices on the desk, and set about crunching numbers for her cafe. She lost track of time, and was startled when she heard the door close quietly. She swallowed the apprehsion she suddenly felt and slowly headed down the corridor towards the lounge. Cell was sitting with his head in his hands on his knees. His armour was gone again, and he was only wearing a pair of track pants again. Slowly Connie closed the distance between them, and even more slowly, she knelt on the floor in front of him. He still hadn't made any move to acknowledge her.

"Cell?" She stared at him, waiting.

Connie was going more on what felt right than anything else, and slowly, she lifted her hand to the side of his face, felt her own shock at how cold it felt, and slowly, he lifted his face to hers. It was stoney and seemed to glow in the light of the TV. His eyes however seemed to be drawin all the light into them, and for the first real time since they had met, Connie couldn't read his eyes.

"Cell?" She asked again. "I was worried." She added. Slowly, very slowly, Cell's face seemed to relax and he gave her a small smile. Connie felt the sudden relief wash over her, and silently, inwardly she thanked what ever dieties existed.

"Connie." He said her name, and it sounded so casual coming from him. She smiled at him. Then she saw the confusion in his eyes, realized he was fighting himself, and slowly she withdrew her hand and placed it in her lap.

"I'm sorry, if what I said upset you." Connie said after another awkward silence. Cell's face seemed to darken.

"No. Confused more I think. You were right. But you were wrong." Connie forced herself to smile.

"That does sound confusing." Cell frowned.

"I did kill. Mostly it was for need. Although I won't deny it was enjoyable. I was a murderer, a tyrant. But I would never defile a creature before I took it's life." Cell sat up slowly and stared into Connies eyes. There was something soft there. "Seeing me kill that man through your eyes, has made me realize some things I have done in my life were a little less enjoyable than I thought at the time." Connie smiled.

"Really?" The look Cell gave her made her realize she had added a little too much hope to her voice.

"I am still who and what I am. But I wanted to make you understand, that I am not the same as those _thugs_." Connie frowned.

"You have honor and pride Cell, and you are a man of your word. But you still take human life, which isn't yours to take." Cell smirked.

"Maybe." He paused for a while, letting the subject hang in the air, before he finaly turned his gaze to her injuries. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks to you." Cell smirked.

"Good. Now go back to bed. You have to rest." Connie chuckled.

"I have to go to work."

"You should have the day off. You need to rest." Connie shrugged.

"I'll ask Simon when he gets in. I do look a bit of a fright." She laughed at herself, saw the smirk in Cell's eyes as well on his face, and felt relieved, felt better.

Another moments pause and Connie indicated to Cell's attire.

"What happened to your armour?" Cell smirked.

"I re-absorbed it into my being." Connie expressed the appropriate amount of awe.

"Cool! Why did you er... Put it on in the first place though?" Cell smirked.

"Nobody would believe any eye witnesses that _Cell_ had re-appeared and killed two thugs in the street to save a woman." Connie laughed.

"True!" She stared at him for a moment then. "You look better without it though." She playfully flicked a strand of his black hair back behind his ear. He smirked down at her, something different in his eyes. Connie decided to head downstairs and unlock her cafe, to break the awkward tension.

It was three hours later when she returned back upstairs, a slight smile on her face.

"Simon is going to look after things for me today." Connie paused taking in the breakfast that Cell had laid out for her on the table. Eggs, bacon, wholemeal toast, fruit salad and a mug of tea. Cell smirked at her, and gestured for her to sit on the chair opposite his. Connie enjoyed her breakfast, relaxing properly for the first time in a few days. She felt good, and put it down to making Cell have an aphiphany of sorts, making her realize that maybe she could change Cell's mind about destroying humanity after all.

After breakfast, Cell cleared the dishes and piled them onto the sink, before he stood in front of Connie.

"Let's see how they are doing." He gestured to her bandages. Connie stood up slowly, feeling suddenly apprehensive, but she didn't budge as Cell removed the bandage from her forehead and gave a smirk.

"Your handy work doing it's job?" Connie asked.

"Indeed it is. How is your head?"

"I'm fine. Bit of a headache, but I'll survive." Cell smirked.

"Good." He threw the bandage in the bin, and made for Connies shirt.

"Ack!" Connie jumped back out of Cell's range. She looked scared and angry. Cell's eye brow arched.

"I'm not going to do anything bad." Connie frowned.

"No... I think I'll check this one on my own." Giving Cell a wide berth, she headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She removed her shirt and began un wrapping the bandage.

The cut itself was deep, but remarkably enough, it had been expertly stitched up with what looked like fishing line.

"How?"

"I can be quite resourceful when the need arises." Cell called back through the door. Connie grinned.

"You never cease to amaze me."

"Your welcome." Cell added a little pointedly. Connie tore off her pants and began to run herself a bath. She heard Cell moving around the lounge room, but fazed it out, and finally, slipped herself into the bath. She felt relaxed, and full, and was careful not to wet the stitches.

It was a good half an hour later when a sudden knocking on the door disturbed her blissful relaxation.

"There is someone walking up the steps." Cell whispered.

"Shit!" Connie pulled herself out of the bath and threw her towel around her body, and tore open the door. Cell was gone, and with a smile, noted the spare bedroom's door shut. Sure enough, a second later and her doorbell rang. Connie moved towards the door, making sure her towel was wrapped aorund her tightly, and she opened the door.

"Simon.. Wha...?" Simon beamed at her, and offered her a serving tray with a continental roll on it. He frowned at her exposed shoulder, then at her neck, and then at her head.

"So what happened to you?" He asked. She had been scarce on the details when she had gone down before, but she couldn't hide her injuries, and had simply avoided answering his questions.

"I.. I was mugged yesterday. Nothing serious." She said with a smile and took the tray with her spare hand.

"That sounds horrible." Connie shrugged.

"Not the greatest experience of my life, I'll admit. Thanks for the roll. It's really kind." Simon beamed again.

"Thought you might need a hand. You know, nobody will think any less of you for asking for help. Hell Connie, you do a lot by yourself. You'll work yourself senseless, then where will we be?" Connie smiled, tried to relay a lot of her gratitude in it.

"Thanks Simon. I know you and the others have always been there for me. I appreciate it. I really do." Simon nodded, before he finally seemed to notice she was wearing nothing but a towel.

"Right! Well you look busy, and I've got erm... work to do. Not that it's busy, being a Monday and all, but do be careful!" Then he turned and hurried down the stairs, a flush in his grinning face.

"Odd boy." Cell said as he emerged from the spare room. Connie smiled and shut the door. She put the roll on the table, and headed towards her bedroom. Cell stood in her way.

"What?" She asked absently. Cell pointed at her shoulder, now that it was exposed. He leaned over, having a look at it. Connie, was suddenly very aware of her nakedness, and Cell's closeness. She could smell him again, the same smell on her bath robe, which she realized with a groan, was back in the laundry mats. She sighed, and Cell let her go.

"Satisfactory." He said, not bothering to hide his pride, "Now go get some rest." he added before he turned and walked away to his sofa. Connie sighed to herself again, and headed into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

--


	5. Chapter 5

Pride

"Connie?" Connie stired, and opened her eyes. It was dark, and she allowed a moment for them to adjust. "Connie?" It was Simon. Connie sat up, feeling concerned now.

"Simon?" She called back. Simon opened the bedroom door, a look of concern and relief on his face.

"Connie! I saw a man in the apartment." Connie frowned and couldn't stiffle a yawn.

"What do you mean?"

"I just finished locking up the cafe and was walking away, when I looked back, there was a caped man's sillohette in the window, walking around." Connie frowned, letting her mind take in the details of what Simon had just said.

"I don't..." Simon frowned and left the room, flicking on the lounge lights as he went. "Simon wait!" Connie called. She cursed her luck, threw herself out of bed, grunted at the pain in her shoulder, and chased after Simon. He had already opened up the spare bedroom's door, and the study. He was heading back towards the bathroom.

"I know I saw someone in here!" Simon yelled angrily. Connie grabbed his shoulder.

"Simon! What business is it of yours if theres a man in my apartment? Did it ever occur to you that he was here on my invitiation?" Simon turned, his look full of shock and anger. He didn't say anything, and instead opened the door. The room was empty.

"Looks like I was mistaken." he said icily and turned, walking towards the apartments door.

"Simon! I know your only concerned for me, but please stop worrying about me. I'm fine." Simon's look was angry, but he nodded none the less and closed the door behind him.

Connie waited a few minutes before she headed back to her bedroom, flicked the light on and headed to the balcony. She watched as Simon trudged up the street, shoulders drawn.

"If I'm not mistaken that boy has a _thing_ for you." Cell said. Connie glanced back over her shoulder, taking in Cell standing behind her, watching Simon, before she too, returned her gaze to Simon's retreating back.

"It's not a thing. Hes just concerned about me. Were friends." Connie said absently. Cell chuckled.

"If you say so."

"I do. What would you know anyway?" She added irritated.

"You forget Connie, I was_ born_ with the complete knowledge of the human brains' chemistry make up in my mind." Connie frowned.

"Of course. How could I forget." she said flatly, then added, "Where were you anyway?" Cell snickered.

"When the boy came barging into your apartment, I felt it prudent to temporarily relocate to the roof." Connie smiled.

"Clever."

Suddenly, as if Simon knew they were talking about him, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to stare at them. The light was on, and both Cell and Connie were standing on the balcony. Connie gasped, but Cell didn't move. Connie couldn't see Simon's face but knew that it must look really bad from his point of view and felt a sudden dread in her stomach. Adding insult to injury, Cell suddenly put his hand on Connie's shoulder. Simon turned and stormed off up the street.

"Cell!" Connie hissed, moving his hand. "What did you do that for?" Cell snickered.

"To prove that your home, and who lives in it, is _not_ his concern." Connie snarled feeling suddenly angry.

"He just saw you!"

"Correction, he saw my sillohette. At the present, as he said before, I look like a caped man, I do not look like Cell." Connie humphed and stepped around Cell, heading back into the lounge room. Cell followed, catching the light on the way out.

"Your horrible. You didn't have to make it look like we were together. Now he's going to think I'm some sort of sleaze."

"Now why do I get the feeling that maybe you feel rather fond of him?"

"Because I do. Hes a good friend, and it matters what he thinks about me. I'm his boss." Cell snickered.

"Of course." He said flatly. The subject hung over their heads as a very angry Connie began to pour some water into the sink, adding some detergent as she went. Cell was suddenly next to her, a tea-towel in his hands.

"I don't need your help." She hissed at him. He chuckled.

"Yes, and you didn't ask either." He replied, but he didn't move. Connie growled under her breathe and began to a little over zealously scrub a dirty plate before thrusting it towards Cell, who simply took it, dried and placed it on the bench. She handed him another, and another, each a little more violently. Just as she was about to throw a glass into his hands, he grabbed her wrist in a fluid smooth movement, locked eyes with hers. She got over her initial shock, and glared back at him.

"Pest." She snarled. He snickered.

"I'm only trying to help." He said, using his free hand to take the glass from her hands gently and placed it on the bench, not letting her go. "A little appreciation is always welcomed." Connie tried to free herself, but Cell's grip, although gentle was like iron and he wouldn't let her go.

"Your help just put me in an awkward situation with one of my employees." She sniped back.

"I don't see how. He should know that your personal life is yours alone, and that being your boss, would make any relationship fragile at best anyway." Connie frowned.

"You make it sound so simple. It never is."

"Isn't it?" Connie sighed and let her shoulders slump.

"No, it isn't. Love and relationships are complicated." Cell chuckled.

"Breeding should be a simple affair. Chemistry in the brain makes you _attracted_ to certain individuals. Then pheromones are released to trigger a response in the opposite sex, thus triggering the bodies' desire to breed, then, satisfied, the pheromones disperse, the chemistry eventually fades and you move in your opposite directions, or in particularily well matched cases, the father sticks around to help raise the young." Connie frowned.

"You makes us sound like single minded animals." Cell chuckled.

"Well whats your view point?"

"Well, when you find someone your attracted to, you get to know them a little first, and if you've got a lot in common, then you start dating. You develop feelings for them, which in turn, becomes love, which is a sort of emotional bond between two people. When two people are in love, they want to express their feelings, so they become, er, physical in their expression. If they choose to, they get married, they buy a house, they have children, they stay together, hopefully forever. Sometimes however, people can fall out of love. People are forever changing, and when someone might be perfect for you when you meet, they might change, or you might change, and things just don't work."

"That was a very complex, romantic way of saying that human beings are animals who follow their instincts in order to propogate." Connie frowned, frustrated.

"You don't believe in love?" Cell snickered.

"It's not a matter of belief. Love exists as nothing more that chemical reactions in the brain." Connied stared at Cell a little sadly.

"I feel really sorry for you, Cell." Cell's arrogant smirk faded.

"Why?"

"Love is so much more than you think, and it's sad that you'll never know what your missing." Cell smirked.

"Ironically enough, you don't seem to be in matromonial bliss yourself." Connie looked down.

"I was in a relationship for three years with a man named Tony. But he left me for another woman after I became absorbed in the cafe when it opened." Cell snickered.

"Your not doing a good job of convincing me that love isn't just instinct." Connie locked eyes with Cell's again, knew that despite her emotions on the subject, Cell was just merely enjoying himself. She became aware of Cell's cool hand around her wrist again, noted his proximity to hers, and noted the faint smell of his skin. She hated herself all the more, for noticing.

"I was in a long relationship Cell. I can tell you first hand, that although it ended, and badly at that, while I was with Tony, it was the greatest feeling in the world. It felt the world was my playground, that I could do anything, because Tony was with me. He inspired confidence in me, and I in him. It was beyond words, the feeling of contentment, of safety, of assurance, that I could go to sleep in his arms and night, and know when I woke up, he'd be there with me still. To have loved and lost, _was_ better than having never had the experience at all." Cell chuckled again.

"Such sentimental dribble really." Connie felt her anger flare up again, but she knew he wouldn't understand. She knew he was to self absorbed to lower himself to see the prospect through another's eyes. Then, without any real fore thought, without abating the consequences of her actions, fueled by anger and spite, Connie leaned forward, standing on her tip-toes and kissed the arrogant grin off Cell's face.

He let her hand go suddenly, shocked utterly. She held her lips to his for a few more moments, taking in deep breaths of his scent like a draught, before finally, her mind, screaming at her that she was insane, she let herself fall back to her feet. She couldn't fathom the sheer complexity of the expression on Cell's face. It was a mixture of everything, overlayed with utter shock.

"Maybe now you can understand why people act the way they do." Connie said quietly. She made to step around the still shocked Cell, but instead, he caught her wrist again, swung her around and loomed dangerously close to her face. His eyes were brilliant, and he wore his smirk.

"Despite the evident shock, I still don't see what the big deal is. As far as I am concerned,..." Connie closed the distance between their lips again, pressing hers to his. Her free hand found the side of his face, pulling him deeper into the kiss. This time she licked his lip as she let him go.

He let her go this time, watched her as she headed down the corridor towards the study, and let herself in, closing the door behind her. She sat herself down in the leather upholstery of her office chair, and turned her PC on. She leaned back in the chair, licking her lips. Despite the fact that she had only kissed him to prove that there was more to the human psyche that chemicals, she couldn't help but feel a little awed that she had just kissed the evil Tyrant Cell... And had actually enjoyed it. She could smell him in her nostrils still, and she could taste him on her lips. She wondered absently how many women he had forced himself upon, and knew that deep down, he had probably never done such a thing, and that she had probably just stolen his first kiss. Connie felt even more awed at that thought, and a little proud at the same time. Then the lead weight that she really shouldn't have done it all, settled in her stomach, making her feel depressed.

Connie sighed and turned to her PC, and the large pile of invoicing that she would have to deal with before the dawn of the new day and brought up her PC's calculator and got to work.

--

Connie finally finished inputing all the data, and trasferring details only moment before her bedside alarm went off. She laughed inwardly to herself, shut down her PC and headed to the bedroom to flick off her alarm. Cell was standing in the doorway after the alarm had stopped. She smiled at him, trying hard to not to let him see her own awkwardness.

"You proved your point a little less sophisticated than I'd expected, but you proved it none the less." He said, his own smugness coming through his voice. She smiled at him.

"So you admit, there is more to the human condition than just chemicals and pheromones?" Cell smirked, his eyes narrowing.

"We'll see. But there is more to you than I first thought." Connie's mouth gaped slightly and she stared at Cell.

"Me?"

"Yes, your little display caught me off guard, utterly, I must admit. That in its'self is miraculous." Connie felt her face flush and she looked down at the carpet instead.

"It was a little... Erm, I wasn't really planning it you know. It just sort of happened." Cell smirked at her but said nothing. Finally that time was slipping through her fingers registered, and she turned her back on Cell and began to riffle through her drawers for a clean pair of pants and shirt. She turned back to Cell, his face still smug.

"I would like to get dressed now." She said a little small. Cell slowly removed himself from the bedroom doorway, closing the door behind him. The look in his eyes was unmistakable though, and Connie found herself oddly confronted by the fact that Cell was attracted to her, and realized, ultimately, that life was going to get very uncomfortable in her home for the next few days.

--


	6. Chapter 6

Pierced

The day had been long for Connie. She found it hard to concentrate on what she was doing. A lot of her regular customers kept asking her about the graze on her head, the cut on her neck. They couldn't see the stitches. All of her injuries were healing very nicely though, which brought her back to memories of Cell. She didn't know what really to think, and found herself confused and affronted by any thought of him. She decided that her inability to concentrate was getting to her, so she retired into the office instead, to order in new stock, do invoicing and payroll. It seemed to make her worse, and she realized that she had spent twenty five minutes staring at a blank screen. Cursing herself, she forced herself to concentrate, and managed to get a few numbers into the system before Mark came bustling in.

"Con, the toilets are all back flushing! Theres a mess all over the floor." Connie cursed loudly, causing Simon to poke his head around the corner. He gave Connie a filthy look, before disapearing again.

Twenty minutes later and Connie locked the cafes front doors.

"Right. We can't serve anyone with water flooding the toilets and leaking onto the floor. I've called the plumbers, but theres not much we can do until they get here. So pretty much, start cleaning up, then you can all go when everything's done." Sue and Simon headed back into the kitchens, Mark and Penny began tidying the tables and closing down the coffee machine. Connie counted up the register, printing off the reports before heading back to the office. Then, she armed herself with overalls, a pair of boots, gloves and goggles, and feeling ridiculous, she set about cleaning up the mess all over her floors.

Forty minutes later, and she unlocked the doors, letting the others out. Simon hung back, looking down at his shoes.

"Con, I know it's none of my business, but... where did that man you were with come from? I mean I searched your whole apartment and he wasn't there, then he was." Connie sighed, half expecting this.

"He was on the roof." She said simply. "Star gazing." She added, realizing it sounded stupid, as it poured from her lips. Simon frowned, looking at her intently with his baby blue eyes.

"I don't understand though. I mean, you haven't told anyone... and I thought that we'd be the first to know. It's just..." Connie put her hand on Simon's shoulder. He stopped mid scentence.

"Simon, it's a complicated story. He's not staying with me for long. I didn't want to worry any one. He's... Well, he's a little odd." Simon stared at her, his eyes trying hard to peer into her mind. She knew he probably didn't believe her, but she tried hard to look sorry. He seemed to finally give up, and he nodded.

"Good night Con." And he headed out the door.

Connie locked the door and sighed relief, leaning her forehead against the cool glass, regaining her composure.

"He _**is**_ nosey." Connie started, but caught herself and whirled around.

"Cell. What are you doing?" She hissed. The sun hadn't set yet, although the street lights had come on outside, as the sun had ducked behind the buildings. Cell shrugged.

"Just pointing out that he's nosey." Connie frowned.

"He's concerned. And you _did_ just pop out of no where." Cell chuckled, closing the distance to her.

"I've had a very boring day in your apartment. Stifling with nothing to do."

"Heaven forbid you could sleep." Another chuckle.

"I don't sleep." The news was not in the least bit suprising to Connie, and she shrugged and walked around Cell. He caught her wrist again, pulling her back towards him. "A part of our agreement, was that you would amuse me or I would become destructive." His voice was quiet, but deathly in his visciousness. She frowned.

"I hope you don't. I've had enough things break on me tonight." She pointed to the toilets with the closed signs on them and the slippery-when-wet sign out the front. Cell snickered.

"I wondered why you had closed early."

"Yes, well wonder no more." Cell laughed again.

"Come Connie, you must..." He suddenly caught the words in his throat, and tensed up, his face a deep scowl.

"What? Cell?" Connie yelled, looking tense.

"Behind me." Cell snarled. Connie leaned around Cell, saw Simon on the other side of the door, staring horrofied at Cell's back, illuminated perfectly. Cell wasn't wearing a shirt as usual, his black wings and tail perfectly visable to Simon. Slowly, Cell turned around, his eyes full of menace. Simon gave a visual start, and turned, bolting.

"Simon!" Connie yelled. He was already gone. Cell snarled, letting go of Connie, and placed his index and middle finger to his forehead. With another terrorfied yell from Connie, Cell disapeared with a loud whoosh.

"Cell?! No! Leave him alone!" Connie roared at the cieling. She knew though, that Cell was gone.

Another whoosh, and suddenly Cell was there, a terrorfied looking Simon hanging by his ankle, which Cell had clamped firmly in his hand as if Simon was made of nothing more than air.

"Argh! Put me down! Connie, run!"

"Cell, put him down." Connie pleaded. Cell abided, opening his hand, Simon unceremoniously crumpling to the floor of the cafe. Connie rushed forward, but Simon was already scrambling to his feet, backing away from Cell, eyes wide with fear.

"Connie, do you know who this is?!" He barked loudly, his eyes frantic, looking for something to use as a weapon.

"Yes Simon, he's my guest." Simon paused for just long enough to stare at Connie.

"_**Guest?!**_" He turned back to Cell who still hadn't moved. "Guest? No, he's got you under some sort of mind control or something. This is _**Cell,**_ the _Tyrant_ who nearly destroyed the entire planet last time he was here."

"Simon, your being irational." Connie tried to calm him down. Simon shook his head, still wide-eyed.

"Oh no Connie, you're being irrational. You've been letting this thing live in your home! In the middle of the city? What were you thinking?"

"Simon, he saved my life! I owe him!"

Cell took a step forward, and Simon suddenly turned and bolted for the kitchens.

"Simon!" Connie roared again. She turned daggers on Cell. "I told you not to come down here. Now look what you've done." Cell finally smirked.

"I could kill him if it makes it easier for you." Connie knew he was only joking, but the look she gave him was murderous. Suddenly Simon flew out of the kitchen, roaring, his eyes wide and panicked. Time seemed to slow down for Connie, as she watched in horror as Simon leaped over the counter top and threw himself at Cell, who in turn rolled Simon over his shoulder and onto a table, which smashed into pieces under him.

"_**Cell!**_" Connie's scream was frantic, and she ran forward. Cell looked down at the knife handle sticking out of his chest, lilac colored blood pumping out of the wound.

"Oh." Cell muttered. "That hurts." Connie tried to grab Cell, but he was far larger than she was, and he went down, sprawled on the floor next to Simon, who was scrambling back to his feet again.

"I did it! I killed him! I killed Cell!" Simon's joyful reverie was suddenly interupted by Connie, slapping him as hard as she could across the face, tears streaming from her eyes.

"You jerk!" She roared. "Get out!" Simon backed away from Connie, who looked ready to tear him to shreds. She gave another sorrowful look at Cell before she ran to the first aid box under the counter.

Connie had basic first aid training, but she had never treated anything worse that a cut finger and a burned arm. She stared at the knife handle that was burried up to the hilt in Cell's chest. She wished that she was as handy as Cell was at doctoring injuries, but she knew she had to try. Inwardly, she knew that if Cell was human, he would probably be dead by now. She steeled herself, and grabbed the handle, and with as much effort, and care as she could, she drew the knife out of Cell's chest. More blood erupted violently from the wound and Connie threw the knife to the side, and pressed a towel to cell's wound, trying to stiffle the bleeding. She glanced back at the knife. It was 8 inches long, and would have gone straight into Cell's heart. She turned back to Cell, could feel his life being pumped out of an eight inch deep hole through his heart.

Simon's senses finally seemed to return, and he stared down at the tyrant he had successfully pierced, then at Connie who was trying frantically to save his life.

"Connie, what are you doing? Leave him. He's..."

"He's my responsibility!" She snapped, her rage immeasurable. "He's not the same as he used to be! I can't believe you acted exactly like an animal! Simon, I thought _you_ were forgiving!" Her words seemed to strike a chord in Simon and he stepped forward angrily, as Connie discarded the lavender blood soaked towel and grabbed a fresh one, pressing it into his chest.

"Connie! That's _**Cell!**_" She turned on him suddenly, tear steaks down her flushed face.

"You don't think I hadn't noticed?! What gives you the right to decide his fate? He was given a second chance Simon! A chance to make things right!" She turned back to Cell. "Get out of my cafe." She added quietly.

Simon hesitated, taking in the scene, before he finally turned and left. Connie heard the door close, hoped beyond all hope that Simon had enough sense not to tell anyone, but at the same time, doubted it.

"Oh Cell. I thought you could regenerate! Instant healing and all that." Connie said sorrowfully.

"I can." He whispered. His hand, whiter than usual found Connie's pressed to his wound, and pulled it away. He used his other hand to drag the towel from his chest, and Connie watched, utterly shocked as his skin stitched itself back together again. Slowly, and gingerly, Cell slid to his side, then onto his feet. His wings dumping some of the blood they had caught onto the floor. Cell's entire upper body was covered in blood, and he looked woosy to say the least.

"Cell?" Connie reached out to help steady him, but he knocked her hand away.

"I'm a little confused to be honest. Last time bullets couldn't pierce me, let alone a kitchen knife made of flimsy steel."

"Maybe your still just too weak. You should go back upstairs and rest." Cell locked eyes with hers. He looked unsteady, and she went forward, sliding his arm over her shoulder before he could protest again. "Come on. To bed with you. No protesting. Your getting blood all over my floors."

It was slow progress up the stairs, but evetually Connie got Cell into the bedroom, and onto the bed. He laid back, closed his eyes and was still for a while, as Connie went and grabbed a rag and a bowl of hot water and sat on the edge of the bed. She doctored him as best she could, cleaning away the dried blood using the rag. Twice, she had to go and change the water. Cell remained motionless, except for his slow breathing. She assumed he had fallen asleep, and smiled to herself. When she was finally done, she covered him with her blanket and threw the soiled rag in the bin in her kitchen. She sighed to herself and headed back downstairs. Cell's blood some how managed to get everywhere, and it took her a good twenty minutes to clean it all up, throwing the blood soaked towels in her bin outside. When she was finally content, Connie turned the lights off and locked up the cafe before heading upstairs.

Connie made up a bed for herself on the sofa, prefering that to the uncomfortable spare bed. She had a long shower, washing the accumulated smells of blocked toilets, blood, sweat and grime from herself, before she finally dressed herself in her PJ's and locked her front door. She opened up the bedroom door, checking on Cell. His eyes opened, and he stared at her.

"I suppose, once again, I am in your debt." Connie shrugged.

"Don't kill the human race, and we'll call it even." Cell laughed.

"Nice try." Connie smiled and watched as Cell shifted himself to one side of the bed then made to get up. Connie was there in a flash and pushed him back onto the bed.

"Stay. Your going to rest, if I have to stand guard all night, I will." Cell chuckled, humored, but he laid back in the bed none the less.

"Your the doctor, I suppose." Connie smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now I'm going to go and get some sleep. Promise me you'll rest." Cell smirked, his face already starting to get some of it's color back.

"If it will make you rest better, than yes." Connie nodded.

"Good. Good night Cell. Hopefully Simon has held his tongue otherwise we'll wake up to hell on earth tommorrow."

"I'm fairly sure he knows nobody will believe him. But it will complicate things." Connie shrugged.

"We'll worry about him tommorrow. Now go to sleep." Cell smirked, nodded, and watched as Connie closed the door behind her.

Despite her outward confidence, Connie was terrorfied that Simon, concerned for her well being, would do anything in his power to try and 'help' her. She doubted she could convince Simon that Cell wasn't really a bad guy. She felt dread and apprehension, but tried to force her mind to settle as she turned off the lamp and slipped into her makeshift bed and willed herself to sleep.

--


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks **Zaya Ayame**! :D_

**Warning**_Contains mature Content. You've been warned._

Survivor's Reserve

Connie awoke slowly to the smell of roasted coffee and the sounds of moevement beneath her. She groaned to herself, fearing she had slept through her alarm, only to realize she hadn't set it in the first place. Connie forced her eyes opened, saw the ceiling above her, illuminated by what little sun light could get throgh the cracks in the curtains over the windows. She sat up slowly, her neck aching, and she realized she had slept badly, balled up on the sofa. She stood up, stretching, and turned to the bedroom. The door was open, and Cell was not in the bed. She grumbled to herself, before she stepped around the sofa and headed to the bathroom. The door pushed open, and he wasn't in there either.

"Cell?"

"In here." His voice seemed slightly more cheerful than usual, and she suspected that the night's rest had done him well. Her apprehension lessening, she followed his voice to the spare bedroom. She pushed the door open, and then stumbling, blushing, closed the door again.

"You could have warned me!" She yelled through the door. She could hear Cell snickering on the other side.

"I don't understand your shame. You've seen me naked before." Connie slapped her forehead, trying to pry the image of Cell, completely naked, rifling through the cupboards of her spare bedroom, still dripping wet from a recent shower, looking for a new set of clothes.

"Yes, but you didn't really have an option then. You do now, show some humility." She heard Cell laughing again, heard his footsteps, then the door opened.

"Cell!" Connie turned, heading back to the lounge, fuming. Cell laughed again, a pair of jeans in his hands, but still, wearing nothing. He let her go, and turned back to the bedroom. Moments later and he re-emerged, wearing a pair of track pants again. Connie frowned and pointed at his trackpants. Cell frowned.

"Unfortunately, you'll find I'm of a larger frame than Tony. The only things that really fit are track pants and a few shirts." Connie nodded in understanding.

"I should go and get you some new clothes. But I have to go downstairs and check that everythings' alright." Cell shook his head.

"Simon has already informed the staff that you will not be attending today, due to unforseen circumstances." She frowned.

"Like tending to someone _he_ stabbed in the heart." Cell rapped on his chest proudly in response.

"Which you would never know happened." True enough, as Connie looked, there wasn't even the tiniest mark to show that Cell had been stabbed with an 8 inch knife only a few hours ago.

"Still." Connie turned her back to Cell, heading to the kitchen drawers. In the bottom drawer she pulled out a small white container with the capsule corporation logo on the top.

"I might as well as take the opputunity to go shopping. You've almost eaten me out of house and home." She pulled out a small capsule with a button on the top of it. Cell smirked, staring at the capsule, he knew would expand into some form of transportation.

"I have a better idea at how to spend the day." Connie stared at Cell, unsure of his intentions, felt her apprehension again.

"Well, what's your idea?" She asked. Cell smirked, suddenly, he closed the distance between them, staring down at her face. Connie could feel her heart racing in her chest at the sudden unexpected proximity between them. Without saying anything, with no warning, Cell grabbed Connie's waist, pulling her into him. His index and middle finger on his spare hand went to his forehead. Connie opened her mouth to protest, but she didn't get a word out before suddenly she felt as if someone had turned the gravity off, only to painfully have the ground slam into her feet beneath her. She stumbled, but Cell still had his hand around her, and held her steady.

He let her go, but she was too stunned to move, staring around at the scenery. They were on the edge of a forest tree line, with beautiful giant trees all reaching into the sky behind her, and a massive rocky lake in front of her. Cell moved, looking around. The sudden shock that Connie was still leaning on Cell snapped her out of her daze and she moved away from him, walking to the lake as if to put some distance between them. She noted the perfect circular shape of the lake, as if someone had taken an ice-cream scoop of the land. The only flaw was that it looked like someone had goughed a line through the middle of the circle.

"Where are we?" Connie asked, still taking in the low shrubs and the reeds growing around the lake.

"This is where I died." Cell said, his voice flat and emotionless. Connie turned, staring intently at Cell, not truly knowing what to say, until Cell stopped staring at the lake and locked his eyes with Connie's. After a moment he smirked, but turned back to the lake. Connie could see that darkness brooding behind Cell's eyes, knew he was probably hurting. Connie turned back to the massive lake and frowned, as she realized the sudden sheer power that would have been needed to carve such a viscious hole in the ground.

"Did it hurt?" Connie asked absently. Cell turned back to her, looked a little angry at the question, but then thoughtful.

"More my pride." He smiled ruefully. "I was supposed to be the most powerful man in the universe. To rule it all, the ultimate perfection in a single entity. I was so proud of my power, I was so sure that nobody could match me, that I could take my time, have a little fun. Then, like some twisted nightmare, that _**boy**_ erupted with a power that made mine look as if nothing. I was so sure. Only in moments it crashed around me, my dreams were wiped away, and so was I. Did it hurt? More than you will ever know." Connie couldn't help but feel sorry for him, saw in him both the tyrant that a hundred years ago had tried to kill her ancestors, and the same man, now so much less the monster, realizing, despite his power, he had his limits. Cell stared at her, his expression hardening as he regained his composure, and Connie knew that he obviously felt weak for admitting the truth to her.

Connie picked her way over the rocks, standing in front of him. She looked into his eyes, saw his arrogance, but also his self-defeat, and smiled at him, trying to convey her own emotions to him.

"I don't think your weak Cell. If anything I think you stronger for admitting you aren't the strongest person alive." Cell's glint appeared in his brilliant eyes again as he smirked, amused.

"I was not the strongest _before_. _Now_, I know for a fact that no one can stop me. If I really wanted to I could wipe this planet from existance right now." Connie frowned sadly.

"But you won't." She said it simply, quietly. Cell smiled at her again, his hands suddenly on her shoulders.

"No. I won't destroy it. But I will rule it. One way or another. This world _belongs_ to me." Connie sighed deeply, knowing she would have to fight to get Cell to see the point.

"It's not_ yours_ Cell. We all have rights to live on this world, free as we please." Cell snickered, his face becoming smug and cold.

"Free? You are ruled by crude governments who shove their regulations down your throat and tell you what you can and can't do. I'd hardly call that free." Connie gave Cell a wry smile.

"Could you imagine this world if we all just did as we pleased? It would be a chaotic mess. Better to have a gentle hand guiding you then a million different people doing what ever they wanted." Cell laughed deeply again.

"More or less what I want, only no pleasant paper guidelines and lax in punishment. This world could be so much better." Connie felt frustrated, but sad. She felt the pang of guilt again that she was loosing an argument that could affect the whole world. She leaned forward again, letting her fore head crash harmlessly onto Cell's chest. He seemed affronted by the odd display, but said nothing.

"I give up. It's pointless arguing with you. Why don't you just go and do what you want." Her voice sounded flat and defeated, and it quavered slightly as she spoke. Cell moved slowly, his hands finding Connie's shoulders again and pushing her back up straight. He peered into her eyes, looking a little upset.

"You want me to go and conquer humanity?" He asked, seriously, quietly. Connie frowned.

"No. I don't." Cell didn't blink.

"What would you have me do? A man with my power, my terrible strength? Do nothing?" Connie frowned, felt herself twist inside, felt a complex variety of emotions mix. Anger, frustration, sadness and hope, all overwhelmed by a strange feeling of grief.

"Help." She said quietly. "_Really_ help. We don't need to be supressed, ruled. We need someone to help us build a better world for all of us to enjoy. Theres so _much_ you could do." Cell finally smiled, ruefully, sadly.

"I don't think the world would want me as their _super hero_." His voice was quiet, but solemn.

"You would have to earn their trust Cell. That's understandable. But you could do it. Save a few people, use that brain of yours to help cure a disease or two, help find a pernament solution to world hunger..."

"Connie." Cell interupted her rambling. "I'm not a nice guy. Your trying so hard to make me think I could be, but I'm not. I'm a _murderer_." Tears brimmed in Connie's eyes, she could feel her sadness overwhelming her senses.

"But you _are_ a good guy Cell. Why can't you see it?" She felt a tear run down her cheek, saw Cell's eyes trace the tear, watched as he moved his thumb, wiped it away. The gesture seemed to prove her point to her, but she felt even worse. He locked eyes with hers again, Connie saw something of his resolve weaken in him at the sight of her grief.

"Connie, I'm sorry." He said it sincerely, quietly, and Connie knew he was appologising to her, because _he_ honestly thought that he _wasn't_ the man she knew he _was_.

"See?" Connie swallowed the lump in her throat, wished her voice would stop trembling. "You _**care**_ about what I think. Theres hope for you. Your a _good_ man! _You are_! You've saved my life, when otherwisely, you would have just sat back and laughed..." Cell put his finger on her lips, silencing her, and smiled again, more sincere than he had ever smiled before.

"Your being foolish..." Connie felt herself cry out inside, felt her heart breaking.

"_I'm not!_ Your being _foolish_! Your so wrapped up in yourself, you don't even know _who_ you really are! Your not _Cell the Tyrant_, the W_icked Evil One_, your just plain Cell, the guy who was given a second chance at life, not to conquer the world, but to really experience life! Your being so stubborn! Your don't see what's staring you in the face!" Cell's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows raised.

"Connie?" Cell's voice was confused, questioning.

To answer him, Connie shook her head, staring teary eyes, pleading at Cell. He stared back, unsure, confused. After a long tense moment, Connie pulled herself free from Cell's grip and turned, and trotted into the forest, her head in her hands. Cell was left standing alone on the edge of the lake that he had carved in his last savage moments of his previous life. Finally it seemed to dawn on Cell, that he really had been missing the point. He did have a chance to do things differently, and there was no Doctor Gero, no super _'motherly'_ computer to tell him how to live his life. He was free, to do as he wanted, to carve his own destiny, to ignore those pre-programmed intents if he wished. The sudden overwhelming realization was a lot more than he could take, and he threw himself into the sky, wings open, mind racing.

Connie saw him go, a glowing golden rocket, blasting into the sky, disapearing on the horizon, nothing but a golden vapor trail to say he had ever been there at all. Connie, feeling horribly alone and hurt, sunk to her knees, and let herself cry into her hands, letting the emotion leak from her eyes.

--

Several hours had passed. Connie had begun to walk, finding the action more calming than sitting, and had walked several miles before she heard him. She turned, staring at the golden rocket that sounded like thunder and was soaring through the sky, getting larger, before gently arching downwards, his glow vanishing within him as he suddenly stopped in mid air and landed on the ground gracefully. He stared at Connie, and she held his gaze, trying hard not to let any emotion out.

"You were right." He said finally, his glint in his eye. He smiled. "I'm not really sure why, or how, but I have been given a second chance." Connie couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Good. But what are you going to do with it?" Cell smirked, staring at the lake.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. I think about it, and I know that I can do anything, absolutely anything. I could be a super hero, I could save the human race. Or I could simply leave this world, and explore others, learning. I could go and be the evil tyrant too. It's all there now, It's all mine if I want it." Connie frowned slightly. Cell turned back to her and smirked.

"You've finally realized you get to chose your own life." Cell shrugged.

"I have all the time in the world to decide, so I'm in no hurry." Connie finally smiled relief.

"Thats such a relief to me, Cell." His eyebrow arched, and he smiled again.

"There is something I'd like to do though, something that has been bothering me for the past two days..." his voice trailed off.

Before Connie could rally her senses, before she could make a movement to protest, Cell closed the gap, pulled her body against his, pressing his lips against hers. She was caught off guard, momentarily stunned, but as her senses caught up, as she took a deep draught of his smell, felt his body pressed to hers, she relaxed, snaking her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss, closing her eyes, savouring the moment. It felt like no time had passed at all, yet all at once, before slowly, they pulled themselves apart, Connie still in Cell's arms. He stared down at her, smirking.

"I have to admit, that is more enjoyable, than I first imagined." Connie felt her face heat, knew she was blushing. Cell seemed amused though. "Shall we go home then?" Connie nodded, couldn't hide her smile as Cell pressed his fingers to his forehead, and they vanished.

--

Cell didn't let Connie go when they re-appeared in her lounge room. It was late afternoon, the sun beginning to disapear behind the buildings, casting a soft golden glow on them, highlighting their hair and skin.

"Should I cook us something for dinner?" Connie asked after a long silence. Cell smirked in response, finally letting her go. She headed into the kitchen, began pulling out dishes and ingredients, settling on a stir-fry, and began to boil some noodles while she cut some steak into strips. Cell stood, his arms folded across his chest, on the other side of the kitchen bench, watching her intently. Connie was cooking the meat, adding some cashews to the pan, when she took note of Cell's smell. It was strong, even though he was a few feet away, and she turned back to look at him, he smirked harder, watching unblinking. She couldn't place it, couldn't understand why he seemed so suddenly... desirable. She felt herself flush, and she turned away, trying to clear her head as she cut up her vegetables, throwing them unceremoniously into the pan with the meat and the cashews. She added a packet mix sauce, threw in the noodles and let it simmer for a while. She dared another glance at Cell, who was still unmoving. She felt herself weaken under his stare, and mentally berated herself for being stupid.

When the vegetables were cooked, Connie served dinner, offering a bowl to Cell. He took it, still staring smugly at her, sitting in his sofa chair, slowly eating his stir-fry. Connie found it hard to concentrate on her food, tried to think of her cafe, found that even harder. She glanced back at Cell, locked eyes with his again, and decided it was pointless, denying that she was a victim to his intoxicating smell.

"I'm... Er... going to go and have a shower..." She said feebly, pushing her barely touched dinner on the table and heading into the bathroom. Cell watched her, unblinking, still smirking before she closed the door behind her.

_Damn it! What's wrong with me?! Suddenly he's irrisistable. I mean, he was before, but now, I can't think!_ Connie mentally berated herself, before she finally stripped, turned on the shower and stepped under it. She hoped the water would help cool her off. She was just starting to get her head on straight when the door opened, and in her sudden suprise, she slipped, only to land in Cell's arms.

"Careful" He said smoothly, putting her back on her feet. It took Connie a moment to find her tongue, longer the find her senses.

"Thanks I er... Cell, _**I'm naked**_!" Her mind finally whirled into action, and feebly, she tried to hide behind the shower curtain. Cell only smirked, before, in one fluid movement, dropped his pants and stepped into the shower with Connie. "Cell... I..." Connie was cut off as Cell's arms found their way around her back, pulling her into him again, their lips meeting. All concerns, all worries, melted away, and it seemed suddenly, to make perfect sense that Cell should be in the shower with her, naked.

Connie snaked her arms around Cell's back, felt his wings, moved her hands down, felt the tightened toned muscles of his lower back, felt him tensing at her touch, and felt suddenly delighted that she could torture him as much as he was torturing her. Their kiss broke, Cell licked his lips slowly, the sight arousing Connie more than she realized. She could feel Cell pressed against her, felt the heat that eminated from his body into hers. He leaned down again, using one of his hands to lift Connie's chin skyward as he kissed her neck, his tongue lapping at her skin, savouring her flavor. Suddenly this seemed _too_ good to Connie, and slowly the voice of reason within her found its way to her conscious mind, screaming that this was getting out of hand. She tried to quell it, hoping that Cell woulnd't stop, felt a wave of heat flush down her spine, and enjoyed it immensely, but the voice screamed reason, and slowly, Connie pushed herself away from Cell. He looked down at her, questioning, and she tried to hold his gaze, but couldn't.

"I don't... I don't think this is right..." She whispered. She stepped out of the shower, frowned sadly at Cell, then left the room, leaving Cell, alone in the shower, looking confused.

Connie stood on her balcony, her dressing gown wrapped around her, the cold evening wind against her wet skin made her shiver violently, and she knew she should go back inside, but she wanted the fresh air, craved it thoroughly and took it into her lungs in deep gulps. Her head felt like it was going to explode. She sighed, turning inward. Cell's smell had evoked arousal, she knew it was dangerous, knew she wouldn't be able to fight it, knew that she would sucumb to him. But at the same time, a voice in her mind told her that really, it wasn't such a _bad_ thing. Another told her that she couldn't, that despite everything she believed about him, it was still a betrayal to the human race. She dismissed that thought, but knew, regardless, if it did happen, it was going to complicate matters between tConnie and Cell horribly.

A sudden knocking on her bedroom door.

"It's open." She called a little hesitantly. She felt herself tense, but checked herself, forced her body to relax, to calm. Cell was there, he wore a serious expression on his face, but his eyes were confused. Connie almost sighed relief that she couldn't smell him from across the room.

"Connie, I..."

"It's my fault Cell. I'm sorry. I just... I don't want things to get more complicated than they already are." Connie said, trying to make herself sound more convicing than she felt. Cell frowned slightly.

"I don't think it would. But if your not attracted to me, then I'll..."

"Trust me Cell, I'm attracted to you." Connie interupted. Cell smirked suddenly, breaking the tension.

"Well that's a relief. I'm not very good at gauging your emotions, I'll admit." Connie laughed and shook her head.

"I'd find it hard for any woman to honestly say you aren't attractive, despite the whole, being _evil_ thing." Cell snickered.

"That's always good to know." Connie smiled, staring at Cell, the hesitation evaporating.

"Forgive the personal question, but you haven't been with many women before, have you?" Cell smirked, a slight purple tinge to his cheeks.

"I've never considered the act beneficial, or particularily enticing, _at least until recently_." Connie beamed, unable to stop herself from laughing.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh at you." She said. Cell shrugged, smiled and unfolded his arms, holding them out to his sides, as if showing himself off.

"Laugh away. If theres one thing you've taught me, Miss O'Nealle, it's humility." Connie grinned.

"Good to know, Mr Bio-Mechanical-Android." Cell laughed, and slowly stepped around the bed, his eyes playful, but hungry.

He stopped just short of Connie, staring down at her, a twinkling glint in his eyes, telling her so much more than words ever could. Connie's mind was at war, but she knew that she had already made her decision, and acted on it, closing the distance between them, letting Cell pull her into another passionate kiss. She could smell him again, but this time she didn't fight it, letting her body re-act to him, to his smell, felt herself becoming aroused as he laid her down on the bed gently, his curious hands wandering up her leg, under her gown, exploring a body that was so new to him. Slowly, his hand moved up, over her stomach, her chest, feeling the delicate flesh of her breasts, her neck, her sides, her curved waist. His smell grew stronger in her nostrils, as he slowly sat back, his eyes intent. Slowly, he untied the sash of her dressing gown, and peeled it away, revealing her, like a feast to his hungry eyes.

Connie's hands ran through Cell's hair, touching the contours of his ears delicately, aware by the look he gave her that she was tickling him and felt a stab of delight at the thought. She snaked her hands around his neck, pulled him down on top of her, kissing him deeply again. She felt the weight of him, felt his toned body, his warmth, his member stirring against her leg. One hand traced down her side again, slipped inside her thighs, his fingers exploring inside her. She was thoroughly aroused now, the smell of her own sex, mixing with his, and she could feel him, completely hard now, pressing against her thigh. Slowly, she opened her legs, wrapping them around his waist. He removed his hand, and let her guide him inside her. He groaned, the sound unusual to Connie, but knew that his first time would be the hardest for him, as he was completely unaware of what to expect. He trembled, before finally, he seemed to adjust to being inside her.

A moan escaped Connie's mouth as Cell thrust himself inside her, taking all of him in, as he thrust again, and again. He was slow at first, but as he began to loose himself in his own pleasures, he picked up his rythym. He kissed Connie again on the mouth, roughly, one hand supporting his weight, the other, stroked her face gently. Her hands ran down his back, felt the sudden hard shell that sprouted from his shoulder blades, played with the skin around them, knew she was tickling him again. He broke the kiss, glared playfully at her, before he looked down, taking one of her breasts into his mouth, licking at her nipple, one eye on hers as she felt the sudden flush of pleasure, knew he was enjoying himself immensely.

Lacking the experience to control himself, Cell couldn't stop himself from climaxing, exploding inside of Connie with a loud groan, his eyes wide, Connie felt herself tremble, knew she had come close, and pulled Cell down on top of her. He lay there, panting with the effort it had cost him, despite the fact that he had more energy than the entire human population put together. He lay there, letting Connie run her fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead. After he had recovered his composure, he rolled off of Connie with a grunt, laying as he fell next to her. Connie rolled onto her side, resting her head on his chest, staring into his face. He smirked, satisfied.

"So?" Connie asked curious. Cell just grinned, laughed to himself, and closed his eyes. Connie laughed silently to herself, bit back her retort, of _**'typical male'**_ and instead, climbed out of bed, turned the light off, threw a blanket on the bed, then climbed back in, snuggling up to Cell's side, and falling into a satisfied, contented sleep. Her last thought, was that nothing could ruin this for her now.

--


	8. Chapter 8

Torn

It was before dawn, the time when everything is deathly silent and dark. Connie woke suddenly, but pleasantly, as the warm body lying besides her moved. Slowly, Connie let the memories of the previous night wash over her, making her smile. Moving slowly, to avoid disturbing Cell, Connie sat up and climbed out of bed. She grabbed her dressing gown off the floor on her way out, closing the bedroom door quietly behind her. She flicked the kitchen light on, still immersed in her own self-satisfied joy, as she headed to the bathroom to gather up her clothes. Minutes later and she was fully dressed in her work uniform, pulling her hair back into a pony tail. She glanced absently at the bedroom door, felt her face heat, felt herself beam, before she finally headed out the apartments' front door.

Connie closed the door, the landing barely visable in the pre-dawn darkness. It took Connie several seconds to adjust, only to notice she wasn't alone. A dishelved looking man was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking slightly unshaven. His pasty skin was visable even in the darkness, and his clothes were rumpled, unclean. He was fidgeting, shifting his weight unconsciously from foot to foot.

"Connie!" Simon said suddenly, quietly, although in the pre-dawn darkness, it seemed to echo like a roar.

"Simon!" Connie hissed, but she headed down the stairs towards him, her eyes full of anger, yet concern.

"Connie, I have to tell you something! It's urgent. I'm sorry, I couldn't wait, but I didn't want to..." He glared at the door behind Connie, as if expecting Cell to burst out at any second. Connie shushed him with a wave of her hand, fumbled with her keys in the cafes door, ushered them inside, then closed it again.

"Simon, what are you doing here?" She asked, unable to hide her aggitation. Connie flicked the kitchen lights on, saw Simon truly in the light, saw him as a wreck of a man, suddenly felt her stomach knot in apprehension at the near-panicked expression on his unclean face.

"I'm so sorry Connie! I really am! This has all gone too far, it's gotten out of hand." Simon started to pace, his hands animated, unable to keep still. It added only to his nervous panicky image,

"What are you talking about?" Connie felt the knot tighten, as Simon stopped suddenly, turned to her, suddenly lunged, grabbing her wrists in his hands, pressing his face close to hers. Connie got a strong wiff of alcohol then, felt the knot tighten even more. "Simon?" Connie heard the panic in her own voice. "What have you done?!"

"I'm sorry Connie. I had to! You have to know, I did it for you!"

"What did you do, Simon I have to know!" Simon's face darkened, he seemed to loose his grip on himself.

"We have to go Connie, before they get here. They'll be here any second."

"Simon! Who?!" Simon wasn't listening. He turned back towards the door, Connies' hands still in his, tried to pull her towards the door. Connie fought him, struggling, managed to tear her hands free, stood her ground, felt her face flushing in anger, felt her insides squirming in anguish. She knew exactly what he had done in that terrible second as their eyes locked.

"They wouldn't believe me at first. So I... I took the towels out of the garbage bin. The ones you used... I told them it was _his_ blood. They didn't believe me, but they analyzed it, then they came around my house, demanded I tell them everything. They said to keep quiet, act like nothing had happened." It was bursting from him now, as if he had been determined to tell her everything for days. "They were formulating plans and something. They... They want to catch _him_, to study _him_. They... They wanted you too. I told them they couldn't have you, you were innocent. It wasn't your fault. But they told me to behave myself. They treated me like I was a little boy... I'm... I'm so sorry Connie! But we can _**run**_! We can go now, before they get here, they can have _him_, but you can run! They can't have you!" Connie was stunned as Simon rambled, watched his bulging eyes, his veins throbbing in his temples. He was crazed, panicked, spooked. Then her reasoning began to creep back, felt her blood boil, then turn to ice as what he was saying, truly sunk in.

In one sudden movement, Connie put all her rage, her disapointment, her fear into an almighty slap that knocked Simon clean onto his back on to the kitchen floor. The sound seemed to echo around the floor. Tears brimming at her eyes, Connie turned, headed towards the back door, her hand on the knob just as Simon was climbing back to his feet. She glared at him, the fact that he was crying, that his lip was busted, bleeding, did nothing to weaken her resolve. A lot of unsaid things and feelings were put into their stares, but she said nothing, but opened the door, throwing herself outside.

Plans had already formulated in Connie's mind. She was going to go upstairs, wake Cell, and they were going to run. Probably to the Reserve where Cell had first died. They would live quietly, Cell could keep himself hiddeen in a massive forest. They could turn a cave into a home.

It all shattered, as she threw herself outside, to find thirty armed, heavily armoured men with massive deadly looking assault rifles aimed at her head. They didn't make a sound, didn't say anything, just glared at her through their eerie green glowing goggles. Suddenly there was a sharp sting in her neck. She didn't have any more time to react than to stare at the armed forces as they suddenly, quietly, swarmed her. Then she heard Simon scream. It was cut off within a second...

--

Special Agent Jordans had been having a very horrifying past few days. Two days ago, he had been woken up by a phonecall, that if it hadn't been coming from who he knew to be a very serious man, he would of thought it a practical joke. The man on the other end of the line, was Special Agent Jordans' boss, and had just received confirmed reports that Cell, the Ultimate Evil, the tyrant who had nearly destroyed Earth, over a hunderd years ago, was very much alive, and currently residing within the city. He had then received intel, via interrorgation, that Cell was indeed vulnerable to attack, and that he, Special Agent Jordans, was going to be co-ordinating an attack that would see them subdue Cell, and then his body could be removed and taken to the special facility floating secretly in the middle of the ocean where he could be studied further.

So much had depended on Special Agent Jordans capturing the girl, with whom Cell was residing. Jordans had seen instances before, where evil had been nursed by those innocent few who thought to change the nature of evil, only to have the evil destroy the innocent utterly when it had no need for it. Jordans did not fool himself, that this case would be any different with Cell. From the background history they had managed to drag up on Cell, Jordan's knew that of all the evil that had ever existed in the world, Cell was the worst. More importantly, he was not human, and Jordan's had to create a special plan in order to achieve his goal. From the intelligence gathered from the witness, Simon, via interrogation, Jordan's had managed to deduce that Cell was still reluctant to leave the girl's home, that he still relied heavily on the girl's hospitality. More intriguing, was that Cell had been witnessed, saving the life of the girl. Jordans couldn't supress the shudder down his spine. He had seen what remained of the man that Cell had destroyed utterly. He had the witness account first hand by the other thug that had tried to rob the girl.

At first, nobody believed the thug. Nobody had believed Simon when he had reported Cell to the police. Then, hours later, he had returned with a purple, blood stained towel. Forensics had confirmed. There was no way it could have been faked. The DNA was utterly remarkable. Surveillance had been set up. Thermal images had confirmed. Cell was living in the apartment above the cafe, had even been witnessed having sexual relations with the girl. Jordans' had decided enough waiting. He had put his plan into motion, but so much, was left to chance. With a monster like Cell, it was impossible to be so accurate about anything however, and Jordan's time was runnin out.

The first problem, was to grab the girl without Cell knowing until she was safely in their custody, where the tyrant coudln't find them. That part had proved problematic, until an opputunity presented itself. Jordan's and his team had watched as a drunken, dishelved Simon had stumbled aorund the back of the cafe. Jordan's had guessed his intention, had maneouvered his team into position, had waited for Simon to get the girl on her own, and then, they ambushed her before she could alert Cell. She was snippered with a tranquilizer in the neck. She had gone down almost instantly. Unfortunately, Jordan's had overlooked Simon as an immediate threat, and had nearly blown their cover, when he had yelled in anger and confusion. Simon had already admitted under interrogation that he had fond feelings for the girl.

But Simon had been silenced quickly. Surveilance had quickly confirmed, via thermal imaging that Cell was still laying in the bed.

Jordan's gave a sharp barking order into his radio, ordered all the teams to remove themselved from the premises. They had what they wanted for now, and had to action phase two of the plan. In order to do that, they had to get out of there before Cell woke up.

--

Connie woke to a horrible throbbing pain in her temple. She groaned, tried to move, found herself tightly bound. She woke, her eyes open. She tried to yell, only to learn that her mouth was full of soggy cloth that was tied tightly around her head. She was stuck in the back of a van, laying on her back, tied to what felt like a stretcher. She coudln't move her head, but could see people, clad in black protective riot armour, with helmets and green, night vision goggles. They were muttering quietly, but nobody paid her any attention. She tried to free herself, knew it was hopeless.

Suddenly a man's face filled her field of vision. He was a middle aged black man with kindly brown eyes and greying streaks in his short black hair.

"Hello Miss O'Nealle. I am Special Agent Daniel Jordans. I am sorry for the uncomfortable accomodation, but it's not for too much longer." Connie tried to squirm, tried to yell at him. Jordan's frowned slightly, looking concerned.

"I imagine you have lots of questions. Well so do I Miss O'Nealle. Tell you what, i'll let you talk, if you promise to talk civilly. Agreed?" Seeing little other option, Connie nodded slowly, but couldn't help glaring at Jordans. Slowly, Jordan leanded over and undid the buckle that was holding the gag in place. He let Connie spit it out, and she worked her mouth to get the sailvia flowing again.

"Miss O'Nealle, do you know where you are?" Connie frowned.

"The back of a van or truck. Looks expensive." She said the last bit as she caught sight of an expensive lookng computer monitor at the corner of her eye. Jordan's chuckled.

"Correct. Do you know why?" At this Connie simply glared daggers at the older man. Jordan's seemed ammused and chuckled again. It would have been soothing, if it wasn't taunting. "Allow me to explain then, Miss O'Nealle. We know all about you and _Cell_. We know of your relationship to him, and we know of his weakened condition. We do not, however, know how Cell came to be, alive again. Although I am intrigued, it's not of a real concern. My major concern is for the well being of this planet and all those living on it. I do hope you realize, Miss O'nealle, that Cell is a very real threat to that well being, and that I have every intention of removing that threat. Permenantly."

"He's not bad! He's changed!" Connie tried to yell, but Jordan's held up his hand, silencing her. She resumed glaring.

"I know that you have feelings for him, Miss O'Nealle, and perhaps you harbour illusions that those feelings are some how returned. I assure you though, in my thirty years of this business, Cell is the worst form of evil, and there is no doubt in my mind, that you mean little to him." Connie snarled.

"Then why have you kidnapped me?!" Jordan's eyes flashed.

"Because, I know Cell's type. He will try to rescue you, more on a matter of self-absorbed pride than because he gives a rats' arse about you. You are still affective bait, Miss O'Nealle. I just don't wish for you to harbour false illusions."

"Sir!" Jordan's was suddenly interrupted. He turned to one of the men in the seats, beyond Connie's field of view. She strained against the strap that held her head firmly in place, and only succeeded in worsening her head ache.

Slowly Jordans turned back to Connie after a long and muted exchange on a radio.

"It seems, Miss O'nealle, that we have arrived." Jordan's moved suddenly, and Connie heard a van's door being rolled open. Moment later and the gurney she was strapped too was rolled out the back of the van, and then rolled across some tarmac. Connie saw a massive helicopter looming over her, was even more terrorfied as she was lifted onto the floor of the helicopter, only to see Jordan's sitting on a bench next to her.

"The facility we are taking you to miss O'Nealle, is the most secure facility in the world. More importantly, it is hidden by all sensors, so Cell won't be able to track you here. We have left nothing to chance." Connie couldn't hide her wry grin at the man's simple ignorance. He didn't know Cell could teleport by locking onto energy signatures that no machine could hide. But she had better sense than to voice her observation, and instead, chose to remain silent as the helicopter roared to an ear throbbing life, then rose into the air with a jerk.

--

Cell had never felt more sheer rage swell in his body than now. Yet via some miracle, he was able to contain it, holding it inside as he stood on the balcony of Connie's apartment, boiling so badly that golden flames licked around his body. He had woken at the sudden yell of Simon in the cafe below, but already the armed men that held Connie's unconscious body hostage were retreating. It had taken all of Cell's self control not to tear the vans apart, and instead to lie still, fuming. He knew it was too risky just to barge in, blowing everything up. Connie was far more fragile, and could easily get killed in the cross fire. Instead, he was waiting for them to reach their destination, to lock her away where they thought he coudln't get her. Somewhere where she was supposedly safe from him. But nobody had witnessed that he had acquired the instant transmission technique from Goku in those last few moments of his previous life...


	9. Chapter 9

**212,456**

The helicopter ride only lasted about an hour. But the speeds this particular helicopter could travel at, told Connie that they would be far out into the ocean by now. Slowly, Connie felt the helicopter begin to descend. She saw Special Agent Jordan's stand up and head towards the cockpit. The roar over the helicopter blades made it impossible for Connie to hear what was being said through the headset the others wore. Finally, Jordans re-appeared next to her again, smiling down at her. He then removed a small metal case from under her gurney and opened it. Inside was a small set of syringes full of clear liquid. He picked one up gingerly, closed the case and returned it. Connie stared, unable to hide her fear at the sight of the needle. She was still utterly restrained, and couldn't move.

Jordans leaned over, close to Connie's ear.

"When you wake up Miss O'Nealle, your going to have a frightful headache. Goodnight!" Connie tried to yell, tried to struggle, but Jordans was undettered, and with a sudden sharp movement, he pierced her restrained neck and emptied the cold contents into Connie's neck. Instantly, Connie's head swam, her vision blurred, and then all she knew was darkness.

--

Cell had rellocated to the roof of the apartment. He was furious still, golden flames still licking at his skin around him. He glared angrily at the 'postal' van that was parked across the street, could sense the two life energies of the men inside the van, watching him with their sensor equiptment. It had taken all his resolve not to blast the van to non-existance and the men with it, but knew all that would do was make the men who had kidnapped Connie, even more nervous.

Instead, he closed his eyes, forcing his mind to focus. Suddenly the city seemed to be glowing brilliant gold under his eye lids. He snorted, forcing the lights to dim as he filtered out all the life signatures of the hundreds of thousands of humans living in the city. He extended his senses further, and further. Half the country was littered with golden hot spots and each time Cell dimmed them, focused on one in particular.

Sudden he saw it. Shinning so brilliant against the darkness of his mind, a brilliant white light, surrounded by a handful of dim golden lights travelling across an ocean. He sent his senses further afield, saw another hundred or so dim golden lights at what he assumed, was an island of some sort in the heart of the ocean. He also assumed it was their destination. He watched in his mind as they closed in, the speed slowing before finally, the golden lights around Connie merged with the hundred or so on the island. Moments later and Connie was moved. Suddenly, without any real warning, Connie's light vanished, along with the dozen or so lights that had been accompanying her, leaving only a few dozen on the surface of the island.

Cell spat rage, felt him loosing his sense of control, his eyes opened, fiery crimson in his fury. He felt his skin boil, forced his energy to compact itself around his skin. Suddenly, in a rain of green slimey acid, his armour burst from his body, adding to his protection. Cell felt his stability slipping, and for one brief second, decided that didn't really matter any more. He suddenly laughed, feeling more like his old self than ever before. He reached inside himself, tapped the massive store of super concentrated energy within, and then in one violent force, let it all out.

Cell had recovered most of his power in Connie's care. He could level the entire planet again if he wanted to, but his mind was still blinded by fury, and instead, he was satisfied just to level half the city, helping to abate some of his rage as the hatred he felt so utterly for the human race was rising it's head again.

The Earth shook under the sudden explosion of power, that was released from Cell as a giant golden forcefield that expanded itself, consuming everything it touched. Electrified air sizzled and cracked, releasing bolts of static electricity all over the ground beneath Cell, who know looked like nothing more than a tiny dot in the center of a giant golden orb of fire. Explosions crackled underneath Cell as petrol stations and buildings exploded. He heard, tiny in his ears, the voices of the humans as they screamed, trying to flee from the power that Cell had unleashed.

Then, as quickly as it had started, Cell stopped, the enegy fading as he let it go. His wings opened slightly as he forced a minimal amount of energy down to keep him in the air. He looked around at the massive amount of damage he had done. It stretched for miles and had engulfed the heart of the city, leaving only the suburbia on the other side of the city untouched. He glanced down at the massive crater in the ground that was now at least a mile deep, smirked, satisfied that he had managed to torture the human race, just as they currently tortured him.

A sudden stab of guilt in his side, and his rational mind seemed to return to him. He felt the anger, still red and raw, but in his mind eye, he saw Connie, knew what she would say when she learned, and she would learn, what he had done. He could already see the utter disapointment and fear on her face. Once that would make him grin with glee, to know he had tortured one human being so utterly. But now... He cursed himself for letting the lesser human beings get to him so badly. Instead, he forced his mind to calm, erased everything from his consciousness, leaving a cold slate. He forced himself to focus on his goal. It was time. Connie's energy had been removed, but it wasn't because she was dead. The humans _had_ found a way to hide energy signatures, but he still knew where they were. He would just have to change his plan, barging in through the front door.

He was the most powerful, deadly creature in the universe. He was confident that he could overcome anything that the human race could through at him. Another pang of guilt. But Connie could not. Ultimately, he knew he would have to be cautious, very cautious, if he wanted to get Connie out uninjured. Slowly, Cell took another deep breath, then placed his middle finger and his index finger to his forehead, concentrating.

--

Connie awoke, as Jordan's had told her, with a headache that rivalled all others. It made her groan under the sudden weight of the pain in her mind. She forced her eyes to open, but saw only bright, painful sterile lights, so she shut them again. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, to bury the fear and the apprehension she felt, and instead, took inventory of herself. She moved her legs and arms, and was elated to know she was no longer restrained. Slowly, she sat up, waited for the new wave of nauseau to subside and opened her eyes. Everything was a bright, sterile white. It took her several moments to adjust her eyes before she realized that she was in a small room, no larger than her loungeroom had been, and that everything was painted white, except a large mirror, that she knew, was really a one-way window.

Slowly, Connie slipped off the bench she had been placed on and walked slowly to the mirror. She was wearing white cotton pants and a white cotton singlet, otherwise, the only other thing she wore was a black collar around her neck. Her hair was untied, and messed up from sleeping on it. Her skin looked a little pale, but she put that down to the lights. She stepped closer, studying the collar in the mirror, her eyes widening suddenly as she saw what it was. It had a small block of C4 in a metal casing locked to her neck.

"A bomb?!" Connie shrilled, trying to pry the collar off. A sudden voice over a speaker system.

"Don't do that, Miss O'Nealle. It will detonate if it is removed or if I press the switch currently in my hand." It was Special Agent Jordan's voice. Slowly, still wide-eyed and terrofied that her life lay in the hands of Jordans, she let her hands fall to the ground.

"Good. Of course, just in case, we required some additional safety measures. If you look closely at your right temple..." Connie did, felt utter horror as she noticed two small perfect stitches and a small amount of swelling.

"What have you done?!" She cried, staring in utter horror and anger at the mirror.

"We surgically implanted a small bomb, just large enough to scramble your brains, to the back of your right eye. When all this is over and done with, I will disarm the bomb, and it will never trouble you. Of course, for the time being, it is merely, security, should you decide not to co-operate."

"You bastards! Cell isn't the monster he once was! Why can't you see that?!" There was a moments pause, before slowly a panel in the ceiling near to where Connie stood opened and a monitor slowly swung itself down, angling itself towards Connie.

"Maybe you would like to see how much of a Monster, Cell truly is?" The monitor flashed before it revealed a birds eye view of a her city. The the left of the city, she knew, her cafe lived. Suddenly, a small flash, right where her cafe was... Then... Connie watched in utter horror and disbelief as a massive golden orb began to grow outwards from her home. The leading edge of the orb ate everything, causing explosions and fires as it went. Soon more than half the city was destroyed, before it stopped, leaving an unimaginable crater like a smoking wound on the surface of the planet.

"Cell!" She whispered, still unable to believe it. "No..." She felt her resolve crashing around her, and she fell to the floor, balled herself up, hiding her head and cried. Special Agent Jordans left her alone for about 15 minutes.

"Miss O'Nealle..." Jordans finally said again. His voice was level, calm. "Cell is here on the island. He is coming for you. We are going to need your help to stop him from destroying anybody else." Connie slowly pushed herself to sit up, her back to the mirror. She wiped her face on the hem of the shirt.

"I don't want Cell to get hurt. He's..." She couldn't finish her scentance, and simply shook her head.

"We don't wish to detroy Cell Miss O'Nealle, just remove him as a threat. Do you understand? We can't let him destroy Earth. He's capable of doing that. We need your help. You've seen what he can do Miss O'Nealle. Please don't let your feelings for him ruin our only chance."

"What... What do you want me to do?" Connie felt a shudder down her spine.

--

Cell saw the building on the oceans waters and smirked. It wasn't an island after all, it was a floating facility, that looked like most of it was under the surface. He noted the huge helicopter on the helipad ontop of the center building that only rose a couple of stories above the waves. Slowly, he lowered himself to the surface level, saw the huge metal doors. Nobody tried to stop him as he pried the doors open as if they were made of carboard, instead of foot thick steel. He stepped into the building, saw a few doors, watched as a few scientists ran for cover, and headed down a corridor. He saw the lift then, and felt another wry grin. He was getting somewhere.

He tore the lift doors open, saw the lift itself barely visable, as a square speck miles down. He simply stepped into the elevator shaft, and began the descent down. He punched a hole in the roof of the elevator, and then let himself out onto the floor, staring around slowly. Everything was made of glossy looking plastic, all the same bright shade of white. Cell walked down the corridor, tense, expecting to be attacked at any second. Nobody came. He felt like he had walked for miles before he sensed her suddely, the bright brilliant white light in his mind. Then she stepped around a corner in front of him.

Her eyes were puffy, but her face was stoney, and she said nothing. He noted the collar around her neck, the sterile white clothes.

"Connie, are you alright?" He asked. Nobody else came. He watched her, seemed to be fighting internal, a single tear leaking from her eyes, before she turned back the way she had come, around the corner. Cell cursed loudly, and followed her at a run trying to catch her. He got to the corner, watched her walk through a metal door, and then suddenly her energy vanished again. Cell frowned.

He proceeded cautiously, stopped in front of the door. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a trap, a big one. The worst part was that Connie was leading him into it. He knew the collar he wore around her neck, was a contributing factor to her betrayal, but... Another pang of guilt. She had obviously been shown what he had done to the city. He cursed hisself silently, and then punched his way through the door.

Connie was standing in the middle of a huge white domed room. Cell still couldn't see any form or resistance. Connie stared at him, her eyes so sorrowful and disapointed. Still she said nothing. Cell didn't move away from the door.

"Connie, I'm sorry. The city. I lost control of myself. These humans, they made me so angry, stealing you." He balled his fists, but kept his temper. Another tear down Connie's cheek. Still she said nothing. Cell felt his anger rising again. "Connie, why are you trying to help them. They kidnapped you! They've put an explosive around your neck, and you'd still betray me?"

"Two hundred and twelve thousand." She said quietly, her voice barely audible. Cell checked himself.

"Excuse me?"

"Two hundred and twelve thousand, four hundred and fifty six people you've been directly responsible for killing. Some of them were my good friends, my employees! In one morning you've ruined my life Cell." Cell looked shocked, angry, and then resigned.

"I did not mean to do that. Can you believe me when I say I'm sorry?" Tears were flowing freely down her face now. The pained look she gave him was ultimately the worst thing Cell had seen. It stung him. She broke down, fell to her knees, crying again. Cell's first instinct was to go to her, but he managed one step, before he stopped dead, remembering this was all a trap.

"Connie... Please. I need you." Slowly, she lifted her head, staring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Need me?" She said quietly. Cell slowly nodded.

"You make me good Connie. You have become my sort of conscience. Without you... I am... What Gero created." Connie gave a mighty sob, her eyes brimming again.

"I'm not always going to be there Cell. You need to make decisions for yourself, you need to take responsibility for your own actions." Cell nodded slowly, and then, he stepped forward. Connie's eyes widened with shock, and she leaped to her feet.

"Cell, don't!" He smiled sadly at her, then stepped forward again.

"I'm taking responsibility for my actions Connie. I deserve what I get." Her eyes wide with panic.

"No!" She ran towards him, managed a few dozen steps before suddenly her collar gave a startingly loud beep. They both froze. Cell stared angrily at the offensive strap around her neck.

"C4." He snarled.

"Stay where you are Miss O'Nealle. I don't want any avoidable deaths on my conscience please." The white domed room flickered once before the plastic covering become transparent, revealing three massive machines that looked like super sized cannons, all aimed at Cell.

"They're huge! Connie gasped. Cell snarled, felt his anger boiling again.

"M.A.C. Guns." Special Agent Jordans said. He was standing on a raised platform besides one of the massive guns. The exit hole it's self of one of the canons could fit three people standing on each others heads and still have room to spare.

"M.A.C guns?" Connie asked quietly.

"Magnetically Accelleratored Canons. Rather than using a machine like pumping action to fire the amunition, they use magnets of such an extreme charge to launch the ammunition, at near light speed. They are the most powerful weapons humans have ever created, but they are also the most unstable."

"Correct. Of course the fact they we would use three on you simeltaneously Cell, should indicate how desperately we want you off our planet." Cell suddenly smirked.

"You could have just asked me politely." Cell said. Jordan's laughed.

"True. But I didn't bother to waste pleasantries on you." Jordans turned to Connie then. "Miss O'Nealle, i would have you leave now. You have been quite helpful. Please escort Miss Janet." A young stern looking blonde woman appeared in the doorway. Cell didn't bother to look, his eyes still locked with Jordans.

"But..."

"Now, Miss O'Nealle, or I will detonate that bomb."

Connie walked slowly towards Cell. He turned, stared into her face. She suddenly threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Don't die Cell. I forgive you." She whispered into his ear so no-one else could hear. His hands around her neck. She felt a tiny pricking sensation, before he let her go. He smiled down at her, then pushed her towards the door.

"This is my fight." He turned his gaze back to jordans who chuckled.

"No Cell, this is your end!"

--

Connie let Miss Janet lead her away down the corridor. Janet said nothing, but simply walked. Connie's mind swam. Slowly, sure that Janet wasn't looking, she touched the spot where Cell had pricked her, but was delighted to realize that he hadn't pricked her, he had sliced through the collar in her neck, leaving it hanging by a tiny thread that she could pull off if she really wanted to.

Janet stopped, directing Connie into a sort of holding Cell, was thankful that it wasn't sterile white. It had the basics in it, a small uncomfortable looking bed, a sink and toilet and a chair. There was no windows, only a fluro bulb to light the room. Connie walked in, waited for Janet to lock her in, before she tore the collar from her neck, staring at the slowly blinking light on the metal casing of the C4, before she headed to the door, jamming it in the corner of the door. She headed back to the bed, found a seam, and tore at it. She dug through the foam of the matress, before she found what she was looking for, the heavy metal springs. She managed to pry one loose before she pulled the bed away from the wall and flipped it on it's side.

Connie worked the spring into a sort of long strip of metal, before she hid behind the other side of the bed. She sat herself up, took a deep breath and threw the piece of metal as hard as she could before she threw herself behind the bed. Nothing. Grumbling, she poked her head around, the metal laying on the floor. She had missed.

It took Connie several attemtps, before she threw herself behind the bed one more time, only to get buffered into the wall as the strip of metal struck the C4's metal casing, causing it to explode, blasting the door apart.

--

Cell waited until Connie was safely gone, before he suddenly let his energy explode out of his body. It was like the cue that everyone had been waiting for. Jordans roar was suddenly over whelmed by the massive roar of the three M.A.C guns as they powered into life. The entire planet seemed to shake under the combined stress of the three massive M.A.C guns and Cell's sudden outpouring of energy.

Everything suddenly happened at once, Cell roared, forcing his energy towards the guns and Jordan. The three M.A.C guns fired, their pay load a huge blue ball of super charged plasma, all aimed at Cell...

--

**A/N: **I'm horrible aren't I? :D


	10. Chapter 10

Accumulation

The sheer power required to fire a single M.A.C gun is the equivalent to running all the power needs of an average city for a year. Having three of them all power up and fire was a massive drain that sucked the power out of the temporary super sized generators that had been created purely to fire a single shot, shutting down the power to the rest of the facility. The power of devastation each M.A.C gun could deliver was a super concentrated blast of pure plasma energy that could utterly destroy a city sized Space Frigate. On land, the power was ten fold. The only thing that stopped the destruction of the entire island like facility, was the fact that Cell was taking the entire brute force of all three of the M.A.C guns energy.

The ground beneath Connie's feet shook violently, and she was thrown into the wall of the corridor she had been running down. The lights flickered once then died, leaving only a muted red colored emergency back-up lights to see by. Connie forced herself back to her feet, but the ground was still shaking, the metal walls of the corridor groaning dangerously. Connie was only too aware that she was several stories under the ocean, and that the ocean was currently trying to get into the corridor. She swallowed her fear, and forced her shaking legs to maneveour towards the stair well next to the lift. She was still utterly alone, despite the fact she had been expecting armed guards to have swarmed her by now, seeing as how she had blasted through her holding cell door using the C4 that was supposed to be strapped to her neck.

Connie opened the door to the stair well, stared up and nearly screamed. The vibrations that ran through the entire facility were currently causing the stair well to buckle and sway in the tremors, and she could see it plain as day. The worst part was that there was no other way for her to get to the surface level of the facility. She felt the sharp piece of shattered mirror cutting into her hand. It was her only real weapon and tool. Steeling her resolve, Connie stepped out onto the violently swaying metal stair case and step by step, began to climb, apprehsion knotting her insides. Any second, she expected to hear news that Cell had been destroyed, or she expected to see the final white flash as her brains were scrambled. Worse yet, she felt horrible, for knowing that she was still a weapon that could be used against him...

--

Cell roared, his energy exploding around him as the three M.A.C guns fired. The energies collided into each other, causing a massive explosion that swallowed the domed room in brilliant white light. The explosion of energies had destroyed all three of the M.A.C guns, but the protective barrier that had been re-inforced around the raised platform where Special Agent Jordans and half a dozen other men had absorbed the impact, protecting them from harm.

As the dust cleared, revealing a mass of debris and destroyed M.A.C guns, Special Agent Jordan's suddenly broke into a grin. Standing in the middle of the floor, angry beyond doubt, was Cell, clutching a mangled looking right arm, covered in cuts, bruises and swellings. His right wing had been shattered just below the shoulder, and leaked green goo on the floor.

"My My Cell, not looking so mighty now." Cell slowly smirked.

"Perhaps. But I can regenerate, and I am not dead. You have failed in your mission." Jordans laughed again, gleeful.

"My mission Cell was to capture you alive. You are severly weakened, and at my mercy." Jordans turned around, opening up a silver case on the floor, removing a massive looking rifle, and levelled it at Cell. Cell was indeed weakened, most of his strength gone in surviving the M.A.C gun blasts. He had not even enough strength left to react in time as Jordans pulled the trigger, a miniture M.A.C gun blast of super heated plasma tearing through the shoulder of his mangled arm.

Cell's lilac colored blood splattered the room, his already mangled arm, falling now lifeless to the debris hewn floor. Cell fell to his knees, his good hand clutched his shoulder, his blood pouring through his fingers. He steeled himself, before turning his glare at Jordan. Jordans flicked the switches on the side of the complicated rifle, before aimed it back at Cell.

"So you have two options Cell. The first option, is you come with me peacefully. We put you in a coma, and you never feel pain again. The second option, is you don't come peacefully. I shoot with this thing until you collapse, nothing more than a bloodied stub of what you are now, then we put you in a coma and your never feel pain again. It's your choice. Although personally, I'm enjoying seeing you suffer."

"You forget the third option." Cell said after a few more minutes.

"Oh?" Jordan's was enjoying himself, and Cell could see the pride in his eyes.

"Yes, the third option." Cell channelled all his remaining energy, forced it to gather in his core. "I kill you, regrow my arm, and then walk out of here with Connie."

"I'd like to see you try." Cell snickered.

"Granted."

Cell suddenly moved, forced himself off the ground in one fluid movement, felt the super heated plasma fly past him, the heat singing his right side, but it had missed, and instead crashed into the pile of rubble in a brilliant white explosion, adding cover to his movements. It took several seconds for the miniture M.A.C plasma rifle to gather enough energy to fire again, and Special Agent Jordans was forced to watch in slow motion as he missed Cell, who smirking, one armed, bloodied, flew straight at the protective glass. In one remarkable movement, Cell twisted in mid air, pulling his arm back. He reached the glass, untwisting himself, the power of that one punch shattering the unbreakable glass in a shower around the men and Special Agent Jordans.

Cell landed smoothly on the raised platform, kicking two of the men down to the floor in the process. He locked eyes with Special Agent Jordans before he suddenly moved, the Mini M.A.C gun in his hand before Jordan's could react. Cell snarled, then flexed his arm, crushing the gun in his hand.

"Dangerous toy of yours." Cell snickered, before he threw then weapon away to join the rest of the debris on the floor. The other men that were with Jordan turned tail and ran down the stair case. Cell let them go. He only wanted one man's death. The man who was responsible for so much unwarranted damage, the man who had ultimately, ruined Cell's otherwisely peaceful day, all in the name of 'what was good'.

Cell felt his anger suddenly surged as Jordans removed a small black remote with a tiny red switch on it.

"Know what this is?" Jordan's asked. Cell snarled. "That's right, it's the remote to the bomb around your girlfriend's neck." Slowly, Cell smirked.

"I think you'll find that she is free of that little piece of black mail." Cell said. Jordan's locked eyes with Cell's, then slowly smiled.

"I don't think your bluffing. But neither am I, when I say that she is still very much at my mercy. Care to test it?" His finger hovered dangerously close to the button.

"I am going to kill you." Cell said simply.

"Then my final act, Cell, will be to kill her." Cell's hand caved in the side of Special Agent Jordan's skull, at the exact same time that he had pressed the remote button.

Cell roared, his right arm bursting out of his shoulder, before he kicked the body over the railing, then pressed his fingers to his head, and vanished with a metalic swoosh.

Cell reapeared instantly in a small room, lit only by the red emergency lights. He felt his heart skip a beat, felt his stomach knot with the feeling of a lead weight in his belly as he saw an all too familiar back lying in a pool of blood that came from her face. Cell closed the distance, saw in the dim light a shard of bloodied mirror in her hand, then saw a small black scorch mark on the ground. Her face was covered in blood, making it hard for him to see.

"Connie?!" He yelled, bending down, scooping her up. She hung limp in his arms, and he felt the panic rise in his throat, felt his anger and his utter fear, a feeling foreign to him, surge through him, giving him energy. He used his newly re-grown right arm to brush some of her blood soaked hair from her face, saw an empty eye socket, and suddenly pieced together what had happened. He pressed his fingers to her neck, felt a weak unsteady pulse, and felt a wave of relief. He held her tightly to his chest with his left arm, then pressed the fingers of his right to his forehead, and vanished.

--

Connie couldn't remember waking up and feeling worse in her life. She couldn't open her eyes, felt only aching agony in her limbs before she finally tried to move, only to feel a sudden wave of naseau, threaten to overwhelm her. She laid back down again, moved her hands to her face, felt the cotton bandages around her face, and nearly panicked, until she remembered what her last conscious memory was of.

She had cut out her own right eye with a shard of mirror. She had barely thrown the offending eye, with the tiny bomb attatched to it, away, before it had exploded in a tiny plume of smoke. The pain she had felt was beyond desciption, and the pain in her heart, had been worse. The amount of blood she had lost, the shock her body had suffered, had caused her to loose consciousness.

So where was she now? She moved her hands away from her face, to her side, fingers spread. She let her hands wander, felt the small IV needle in her wrist, trailing a small tube away from her bed. She felt her attire, realized she was wearing nothing by an overly starched gown. Slowly she felt the edges of the bed, felt the metal railing that only hospitals had.

"Hello?" She called slowly.

"Miss O'Nealle." It was a female's voice, that if didn't sound stretched and upset, would have belonged to the kind of woman that Connie considered to be kind and motherly.

"Hello, where am I?" Connie asked, feeling bile rising in her dry and sore throat.

"St Edwards Hospital." Connie felt a small pang in her ribcage.

"How... How did I get here?" She really wanted to ask about Cell but thought it unwise.

"You were brought here by... _him_ actually. Do you know who I am talking about?" Connie couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"I do. Is he still here? Is he alright?" The female voice snorted in disdain.

"I really don't think that your in any..."

"Is he here?" The voice sighed.

"...Yes. He's outside, on the roof at the moment. Keeping a low profile or something like that. Personally, he's frightened all the staff senseless, and i want him to leave." Connie couldn't supress her smile.

"I'll go and see him, then we can both go." Another snort.

"I don't think so Miss O'Nealle, your in no shape to be doing anything for a while. To be completely honest, I don't know how you managed to survive. You lost so much blood." Connie smiled again.

"Call me Connie." Another snort then Connie heard the woman's footsteps leaving, heard the door close behind her again. She touched the bandages around her face again.

"Your awake?" Cell's voice sounded relieved, but tired. Connie smiled towards the direction of the voice.

"I am. Are you alright?" She held out her hand towards him, felt his hands close around hers, was shocked to feel the warmth eminating from them. He held her hand to his face, and she felt his skin, felt too, the dried blood, dirt and grime that had accumulated on him.

"I am alright Connie. I was worried about you. You almost died." Connie smiled, and laid back on the bed.

"I'm alright."

"I know... I know what you did Connie. I know why you did it too. I'm... I..." Connie held up her hand.

"I did it because I didn't want to be used as a weapon against you. I don't want to betray you Cell, and i'm sorry I did." Cell nodded, sat down on the edge of the bed, touched Connie's cheek with his hand.

"I don't want you to get hurt. You know that don't you? I don't want anything or anybody to hurt you."

"I know." Cell smiled.

"Once, I never would have thought to utter such words from my mouth, but now it seems only natural that I should tell you, that I have feelings for you." He said it so casually, yet Connie caught the underlying message, knew it must have really eaten at Cell's pride to admit it.

"I know Cell. I feel the same way. But at the same time, I'm horrofied that I don't have anything else left to me now, but you."

"I'm sorry Connie. I'm responsible."

"Yes, and no. You were driven to do that, desperate to vent your anger against those who had hurt you. You had no right, and it's going to hurt me for the rest of my life, but if they hadn't kidnapped me, then it would have never happened."

"Maybe. The world knows I am alive now. I am on all the TV stations. Any chance we had of secrecy is gone."

"The world was always going to find out about you Cell. That was inevitable. But what you choose to make the world believe of you is still your choice. It will be hard. They fear you so much." Cell sighed slowly.

"I still don't wish to help them either. I was thinking that I should just go. Leave this planet."

"No, Cell, what about me? What about us? You can't go now..." Cell leaned down, kissed Connie's forehead.

"I won't go now. But you can't, in all honesty, deep down, tell me that you can't see this ending badly."

"Then take me with you. I don't have anything left here. You owe me that much." Cell said nothing to that. He simply stood up and moved away from the bed.

"We'll talk about it later. Go back to sleep Connie. When you wake up, when you have more strength, you can argue about it then." Connie heard him leave through the window, heard the sounds of wind, then heard the door open, and sighed as the doctor came to tend to her. Her mind was left in turmoil, in agony and confusion, but she did as Cell asked, laid back as the Doctor injected more sedatives into her IV drip.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:** OMG, it's been like, forever since I updated this story. I'm so damned bad. To be honest, I wasn't sure where to take it now, seeing as to how I lost all the notes on the story. So I'm sort of making it up as I go along now. Bear with me... Oh yes, adult content. You've been warned._

**Chapter 11**

Connie's Losses

Connie awoke to the murmuring of multiple voices outside her door. She could not discern what they way saying, but they sounded urgent and hushed. She allowed herself a few brief moments to take inventory of what she had available to her, in case she had to fight to protect herself. Her mind berated her for her foolishness, knew that if it came to that, she was doomed before she could even begin. With the bandages around her eyes, she was blind, she was weakened and she was still drowsy from the cocktail of drugs still in circulation in her blood.

The voices ceased suddenly, and a moment later, Connie heard her door open. She heard the multiple footsteps of military boots and thousand dollar Gucci shoes on the vinyl floor, surrounding her bed. She guessed that there were at least six people.

"Good evening Miss O'Nealle." The voice was a deep and slow drawl, soothing to the ear. Connie couldn't help but appreciate the intelligence of making that man their speaker. Connie chose to say nothing, and continued to feign sleep, with her head lolled to the side.

"There's no need to pretend your asleep Miss, we have no intention of harming you." That voice belonged to a woman, sophisticated in her speech, and obviously of some importance. Connie could imagine seeing her with her hair tied back in a curled bun, reading glasses, a neat suit and a clipboard in her arms. Connie sighed to herself, knowing her cover was blown, and she forced herself to sit up against her pillows. She still refused to speak.

"Thank you Miss O'Nealle." The soothing voice of the male again. She imagined him to be an older man, in his mid-fifties, with chocolate skin and graying hair.

"Call me Connie." She said quietly, more habit than anything else.

"Of course, Connie." The man said, with a smile in his voice. "First off, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to what occurred. It was never an intention for you to be involved. The man in charge of the operation thought it prudent however, that we..."

"Save it." Connie said tersely. She felt a tiny pang of guilt. It was not in Connie's nature to be rude or cruel, but she found herself making an exception to these people.

"As you wish Connie." The man's voice seemed to sparkle with amusement.

"Just tell me what you want." Connie said, not bothering to hide her anger and resentment.

"We only wanted to offer you our apologies. We know how much you lost in Cells attack. We know how much, everyone lost. We don't think it was your fault that Cell destroyed the city. He was just being... well... Cell." Connie felt her rage beginning to burn inside her again.

"Shut up! What do you know?! Cell isn't the mean mechanical monster you make him out to be." Her sudden outburst was met with a light chuckle from the mans throat.

"Of course not. The fact that he destroyed over two hundred, thousand lives, is inconsequential. After all, hes a nice guy." Connie snarled in the direction of the man.

"He was provoked." She knew her voice sounded feeble, and worse yet, she could feel the doubt creeping into her mind.

"Ah yes. Because we were threatening to hurt him, with guns pointed at him, demanding he blow up the city surrounds." The words were delivered lightly, but it stung like a slap to the face.

"Miss O'Nealle, we don't blame you." The woman's voice again. "But it's prudent that you help us. We can't let Cell simply live out his life. He is simply too much of a liability. Any man who has the power to wipe out whole cities, when he gets a little angry, is far too much of a risk. Next time it could be millions."

"Of course, we would be happy to help you in return. Even now, we are trying to rebuild the damaged city, although it would never be the same. A new cafe, better than the last one, a new home in a new city. A chance to start over. Thats what we are willing to give to you." The man added.

"What do you want me to do? What do you think I can do?! Cell can't be killed. And _I_ _wouldn't_, even if it _was_ possible." Connie felt her anger and hurt surfacing. She knew what the people were trying to do. Cellwas a threat to the human race. He was a threat no matter where he went. But it wasn't his fault... It was all Doctor Gero's fault... Wasn't it? Connie suddenly wasn't so sure.

"We acknowledge his superior design. He is the ultimate weapon. We tried to capture him, to utilize him, but we know that we can not have him, if he will not come willingly." Connie's mind suddenly clicked. She began to understand now.

"But he listens to you, Connie." The man touched her knee on top of the blanket in a gesture of assurance. "He is an uncontrolled menace at the moment. He needs direction. You need to convince him to let us help him. We have facilities that can house him, offer him everything he will need or want. He will be free from prejudice and insult. He can become our protector, save us from any aliens that may wish us ill, again. He will become a hero."

"I don't think he'd agree with that." Connie said quietly. Her mind was already feebly trying to imagine Cell saving the Earth from a giant meteorite or alien invasion. She found it fake and unlikely.

"Try to convince him though. Make him realize that we mean him no harm. We are only trying to protect our planet."

"And if he doesn't agree?" Connie's voice was dark but stern. The man chuckled.

"If he doesn't not agree to stay with us, as a benign protector, then make him leave. If he does neither, then we will rally all the fire power we have to destroy him. We will hound him and hunt him. I doubt we will succeed without heavy losses, but we can not merely roll over and let him terrorize us as he sees fit." Connie knew that what the man said made sense, and she forced herself to nod once, curtly. She found the motion incredibly hard.

"Thank You, Miss O'Nealle." Said the woman. Connie heard the people leaving, but the man's hand was still on her leg.

"You seem like a good girl Connie. I can see why Cell has taken such a liking to you. I trust you'll do what you see is best." Connie didn't respond, simply looked down, at where she thought her hands were, laying limp in her lap. She felt the man withdraw his hand, and heard his slow footsteps leave, and the door close.

Connie's mind wandered through the information that had been given to her. She felt dirty and miserable. What they had done, was truly dumped the weight of the world's fate on her shoulders. She longed to go back to her cafe and her apartment, crawl into a ball and cry herself to sleep. She felt the burning sensation in her tear ducts as she cried, motionless, the bandages sucking up all the moisture before the tears could fall.

"My cafe is gone... My friends are gone... My home is gone... My eye is gone... All I have left is Cell... But I can't have him. Everything has become so... so complicated." She said to herself quietly. "What happened to the times when everything was simple and life was pleasant and there were no nasty surprises hiding around the corners." She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, letting all her welled up emotions out. It caused pain from her swollen empty eye socket, adding to her miserably feeling.

It felt like years until she finally stopped, although it could have been only minutes. She had a headache now, and she felt the deep ache in her face from her injury. She lifted her head and swung her legs over the bed. She felt the needle in her wrist, and she made to pull it from herself, when two warm hands took her wrists. She froze until she caught his scent, rich in her nostrils, and she relaxed. Slowly his hands removed the needle and tube, causing only a mild sting of pain in response. She stood up, feeling weak on her legs, and took a few steps forward.

"How long have you been in here?"

"Long enough." She knew that he meant that he had watched her cry, and had let her get it out of her system. She nodded slowly in the direction of his voice. She felt numbed.

"Are you alright?" She asked, more to break the awkward tension.

"No." She hadn't been expecting the answer and she felt her mouth open in a small 'o' shape.

"I heard what those Military Servants said, what they wished to offer me." Connie frowned slightly, mentally picturing Cell hovering outside the window, listening in.

"Are you going to take their offer?"

"Do you think I should?" His voice was unsure, not as self-confident as normal. She knew then, that he was conflicted. He had actually been considering staying, despite the fact it was against everything he once was. She considered her words carefully.

"It would mean that we could be together. No other option gives us that." Cell snorted.

"That doesn't answer the question."

"No." She said it suddenly, but knew it was true. "If you stay Cell, I don't think you could ever be happy. You would become bored, angry and eventually, destructive. You aren't the settling type." She felt her tears welling in her eyes again, felt the burning sensation.

"I think you are right." He spoke quietly, but whole-heartedly. He suddenly closed the distance between them, and took Connie into a tight embrace, kissing her forehead.

"I know that you have to leave. You have to go and discover who you really are, if you are to ever find your own inner peace and happiness. But I don't want you to go. I... I have this feeling that I'll never see you again." Cell chose not to reply, simply held her, fighting internally, the usual war he had within himself. Tyrant Cell, the old android he had once been, fighting the New Cell, the man he had become.

They're moments respite was suddenly interrupted as the door opened, and the doctor walked in, staring down at his clipboard. Finally he looked up, saw Cell glaring at him, and froze dead in his tracks.

"What?" Cell said sharply, still holding Connie against him.

"...I... Er... Check... Bandages... time to... Er!" Cell finally let Connie go, and she sat down on the bed. Cell walked to the other side of the room, his eyes never leaving the doctors.

"Well, get to work." Cell said pointedly. The doctor moved to Connie, his hands shaking as he unwrapped the bandages. As each layer was removed, the room became a little lighter and brighter. Finally as the last bandage was removed, Connie could see. She blinked rapidly, trying to get her eyes to focus. She saw the old doctor, eyes wide and skittish as he slowly removed the additional thick bandage that had been taped across her empty socket. Connie felt the stabs of pain, but she bore it well, instead turning her focus to Cell who smirked back at her, his eyes folded across his chest. He wore his full amour, which still bore the dried blood and grime from the facility.

Twenty minutes passed, the doctor jumping at every tiny sound, before finally he deemed her fit enough to leave. He re-wrapped her head. But left her remaining eye uncovered so she could see. She found the world seemed much flatter with only one eye, as she had lost her perspective. The doctor left, paying no bother with the pleasantries, leaving Cell and Connie alone again.

"You could use a bath." She pointed out. Cell's face seemed to beam at her jibe.

"Well you don't exactly smell like a bunch of roses either." He retorted. She laughed at him, feeling considerably more at ease now she could see. "Come on then." He closed the distance between them, scooping her into his arms. She barely had time to protest loudly before the hospital was a rapidly decreasing blur on the ground behind and below.

Connie enjoyed the sensation of flying immensely, loving the cool air against her skin and through her hair. But she quickly became cold, and turned her face to Cell's chest to avoid the harsh chill. Cell only snickered, and began to descend.

Cell landed smoothly and flawlessly on a grassy bank of a slow and wide river. He placed Connie on the ground, letting her explore. They were out beyond the rural areas of the city, and were in what appeared to be a wild nature reserve. The trees were huge and thick, the brush underneath thriving so close to the water. Connie smiled, noting the wild strawberries that grew like mad around the grassy clearings. She plucked one and popped it in her mouth, relishing the sweet juices.

"Mm, Delicious." She plucked another handful, heading back to Cell, offering him some. He popped one in his mouth, savoring the flavor.

"So when are you going to leave?" Connie asked the question, as if it was a normal conversation.

"Soon... I think after I know that you will be alright without me." His voice had lost some of the smug luster it normally had.

"Oh." An awkward silence befell them, so Connie turned her gaze to the river's water, popping another strawberry in her mouth.

"We shouldn't dwell on unpleasant subjects." Cell said slowly. Connie turned back to him, saw the conflict behind his eyes again, felt a deep pang of pain and guilt.

Suddenly Cell's conflict vanished from his face, as if it never had been. He smirked playfully at her, before flexing his body, his face contorting into concentration. Connie watched, partially horrified, partially awed, and mostly disturbed as Cell's green speckled amour was re-absorbed back into his skin, leaving Cell standing naked before her. He gave her a casual smirk, before he dove into the water. Connie watched him resurface a moment later, flicking his wet hair back against his skull.

"How is it?" Connie asked, watching as Cell stretched out on the water's surface.

"Relaxing." Cell replied. Connie grinned, and stripped off her flimsy hospital gown, discarding it on the grass, and she dove into the water, after Cell. The water was only about neck high, and she was able to kick off the river bed, back towards the air.

She resurfaced, gasping with the shock to her pores. She was still chilled from their flight, and although the water wasn't freezing, it wasn't warm either. Cell laughed at her, jauntily. Connie growled and used her arm to sweep a wave of water at him. He laughed harder, unfazed, and flicked some water back at her. She lunged towards him, splashing as much water as she could at him in the process. He caught her around the wrist, and he pulled her into a tight hug. She could only stare as Cell used his energy to concentrate a ball of water from the river, lift it over their heads, so it wobbled dangerously above them. Connie watched it, awed, and dreading the next part.

The ball of water suddenly dropped as Cell released his control, and they were both suddenly showered in cold water. Cell laughed the whole time. Connie pounded on his chest.

"Jerk." She said playfully.

A moment of silence as they both calmed down, their eyes locking together. Cell brushed some of Connie's soaked hair from her bandaged face, smiling before he leaned down, kissing her deeply. She returned the kiss, feeling considerably better than she had in a few days. She snaked her arms around his neck, and took in a deep draught of his smell, which was growing stronger. She felt one of his hands wander down her back and side. Finally she broke the kiss, licking her lips. She could taste the lingering strawberry from earlier. He smirked as she licked her lips, before he lunged at her again, bringing her into a passionate kiss. She felt him beginning to grow aroused and his scent became stronger and his body warmer. She allowed herself several moments, merely to wallow in his presence, noting her bodies responses as she became equally aroused.

His hands ran down her side, before grabbing at her rear, offering her support. Connie wrapped her legs around Cell's waist, felt his hardened member pressing into her thigh. She shifted her weight, opening herself to Cell. He hesitated for a moment, before he plunged into welcoming body, breaking the kiss, to stifle a moan. She smiled at him, allowing him a few moments to get his bearings, before he thrust himself into her slowly. The chill of the water offered a stark contrast to the heat of their bodies.

He established a pattern, slowly getting faster and harder. His lips danced across the subtle flesh of Connie's neck. Finally, Cell ceased, allowing himself a moment to recover. Still inside of her, he walked slowly through the water, supporting Connie. She kissed the tip of his nose, and ran her fingers through her hair.

She felt the sudden cold hard rock against her back, and realized what Cell had done. She smiled at him, pulling his face to hers, into a deep passionate kiss. He allowed himself a few more moments, before he began to thrust into her again, and again.

Connie leaned back against the smooth rock, bearing her breasts to Cell. He kissed the soft flesh, before he turned his attention to the hardened dark nipples. Connie couldn't contain a moan of satisfaction as a wave of pleasure rolled over her body. Cell pumped harder, faster. He wouldn't be able to last much longer. Connie arched her back, and Cell's eyes widened and he moaned as his pressure burst. Connie clutched at Cell's hair as he arched his back, spilling his seed inside of her. A few moments passed with them both panting, just leaning into each other, before Connie finally hugged Cell's head and kissed his nose. He smiled at her, and slowly let her go.

They bathed a while longer, mostly enjoying each others' company. The sun ducked beneath the mountains on the horizon, and the water became cooler, so they decided to retire to the grassy banks. Connie gathered some branches from the forest floor, and Cell lit them with a flick of his wrist. It was a warm night, and laying besides the fire provided them with amply warmth. Cell used a tiny amount of his energy to establish a sort of bubble around their small camp, which kept the bugs and mosquitoes from coming near them.

Connie fell asleep that night, in the arms of the man she loved, surrounded by nothing except nature and with only the stars as their silent watchers. For the first time, in a very long time, Connie felt truly alive.

--


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The Theory of Absolution

It had been decided. The decision was final, and both Connie and Cell had agreed that it was for the best. Cell could not stay amongst the population of Earth and simply let humanity be. He had to leave, or risk lapsing and becoming destructive, whether intentionally or not. It was not a choice that had been easy. They had both debated the fact through out the day. Cell had admitted that he had changed, developed a sense of compassion and respect for life that he had never had before. But he had also admitted that it was limited at best. He had exposed himself to scrutiny, studying himself truthfully, and had come to the conclusion that despite his thoroughly different perspective now, he was still simply too dangerous. One tiny slip of control on his part could total an entire continent and destroy the lives of millions.

And that was not something that Connie could bear to have on her conscience either. She had slipped into a sort of acceptance of the whole matter, despite the fact that the thought of loosing Cell was incredibly painful to her already open emotional wounds. She knew that things would never be the same, ever again.

Late afternoon saw Connie standing alone on the river bank, her eyes watching the slow water currents, as her mind raced along with her blackened thoughts as she wondered what would happen to her now. Cell had disappeared into the sky, promising he would return shortly. He had asked Connie to think carefully about her future, as when he was gone, she would be on her own. Her face had not yet appeared on the Television in association with the sudden terrifying return of the Cell Monster, but Cell had cautioned, not to rule it out as a possibility. Life would become increasingly hard, if not impossible in that circumstance.

So Connie stood, watching the brilliant scarlets, pinks and golds dancing on the water's surface as the sun began to set, her mind contemplating her bleak future. She was still young in her life, and the thought of spending the remainder of her days as a hermit, alone in the forest, was a bleak one. But it seemed more practical than attempting to re-integrate herself into community, and risking her life should her association with Cell become public, and she had become considerably more identifiable with her injury, that she was so sure would leave a nasty scar.

Her thoughts shattered around her, as she heard Cell land smoothly on the ground behind her. She couldn't deny that she still had a chill run down her spine whenever she saw him. He gave her a confident smug smile, before he placed the backpack of goods he had 'somehow' retrieved for her on the ground. It contained several necessities, and some food.

"Have you decided, on what you are going to do?" Cell asked, cautiously masking any emotion from his voice. Connie sighed.

"I guess... I was thinking I could live in a cottage in the middle of a forest or something. Away from everyone else." Cell gave her a sad smile.

"For the best." He said tartly. At the look on her face, the sadness she struggled to hide, Cell's face fell, and he took her into his arms.

"I don't want to be alone. It's just not fair." Cell sighed deeply.

"Think of it like this. In a few years time, nobody will remember, even if they do advertise your involvement with my return." Connie nodded slowly into Cell's chest, closing her eyes, and just trying to enjoy his company while she still had it. She took in another deep breath of his musked slightly cinnamon scent and smiled to herself absently.

"Come. I shall have to make you a home before I leave." Connie pushed away from Cell, locking her eye with his. They shared their reluctance to part in their gaze, but finally, Cell gathered Connie and the backpack in his arms, and took to the sky, like a golden rocket.

-

Cell flew slower than normal, aware of the sleeping form in his arms. He had been flying for a few hours, and Connie had fallen asleep on the relaxing journey. He let her sleep. He slowed as he approached his destination, the giant hole shaped lake glimmering in the bright starlight. The forest sprawled below him was a dark blur, but he knew what he was after. He landed carefully, Connie not stirring in the slightest. He placed her gently on the moss covered ground in a clearing near to where he planned to work.

And work he did.

As he had done when he had made his arena, all those many years ago, Cell used his immense energy to haul a massive marble rock from the ground, and to carve it perfectly into bricks. He made a clearing, removing the trees with a flick of his wrist, and began to maneuverer the perfectly carved marble bricks into place. Next, he turned on the trees he had cleared, heating them, although not excessively, as he carved them into the shapes he wanted.

Finally, he drew sand from the ground, arranging it into the perfect squares he needed, and blasting it with his energy, until the sand melted, and became fused, cooling into perfect planes of pure glass.

When Connie awoke, just as the sun began to show above the horizon, Cell was placing the finishing touches on his art piece. Connie followed the sounds of his labors, and when she saw what he had done, could not conceal her gasp of utter surprise and amazement. A small, marble and wood cottage stood before her, polished and shinning in the morning light. Glass windows, turned soil, and even a small marble fence around an un-planted garden. Cell smirked at her, motioning for her to go inside.

The building had a similar appearance to her apartment, except everything was made of marble, glass and wood, the perfect polished surfaces bringing out the remarkable natural patterns in the materials. He had even carved a wooden sofa, with room for cushions, later on. The bed was of a similar fashion. Aside from the woven necessities, the house was fully furnished. The only other exception, was that there was no plumbing.

Back out the front, Cell showed Connie to the large marble basin he had carved, that sat on a hollow marble pedestal, with a fire pit underneath it.

"You'll have to fetch water from the well, and unfortunately, I do not have the ability to facilitate you with a toilet. But everything else, I hope, is adequate for you..." Cell was cut off, as Connie flung herself at him, pressing her lips into his.

"It's amazing!" She exclaimed, before she kissed him again. Cell deepened the kiss, before he finally let her go.

"I'll have to go and fetch you some cushions and bedding, as well as some additional minor furnishings for the home to be complete. I was hoping to have made the trip before you woke, but the details took longer than I expected." Connie only watched, ruefully, as Cell disappeared back into the sky. She had barely had a chance to protest at his sudden departure. When he was gone from sight, she turned back to her new home, still shocked and amazed at the sheer quality and craftsmanship that Cell had displayed.

She was examining the wooden cupboards when Cell suddenly returned. She headed outside to meet him, his hands empty, bar a singly tiny white plastic capsule. She recognized it for what it was, and stood back as Cell pressed the release button and tossed it casually to the side. It expanded into a huge cupboard like room, with a small door. Cell began fishing out the supplies he had 'acquired' and Connie helped him to set up her new home, laying a double mattress on the bed, cushions on the sofa, cutlery and utensils for the kitchen, candles and other cleaning things. Cell had thought of every thing.

It was well past lunch when Cell decreed their job done. He reclined on the newly made and furnished sofa, stretching his wings out. Connie watched him, standing behind her counter. She knew that her time with him was limited at best now. She didn't want him to go, but knew he had to. His only remaining legacy of him would be the house he had built for her to live in.

Cell seemed to sense her concern, and he watched her, observing, revealing nothing of his own mental conflict. Internally, he just hoped he had done enough, provided Connie with everything she would need to spend the rest of her days in peace. The only thing he could not give her, the only thing she truly wanted however, was companionship. No human should have to live alone. He swallowed his sombre thoughts, and stood up instead. Connie's eyes watching him. He took her into his arms again, kissing her passionately, hoping that he could at least convey some of his emotional torment at the thought of leaving her, through their kiss.

Connie softened in his arms, as she knew that he was just as reluctant as she was. They both knew that him leaving was inevitable. But their was nothing to stop them from at least enjoying each other's company while they still had it. With out speaking, Cell broke their kiss, and scooped Connie into his arms, taking her into the bedroom.

They enjoyed each other's physical company and the pleasures of the skin, well into the night.

-

King Yemma, ruler and the final judge of the souls of the underworld, was not a nervous man by nature. Usually, with his massive stature, intimidating presence and bold booming voice, he made others nervous. But only twice before had King Yemma ever before been summoned before the Ultimate of all Gods, the god of gods, Seodisa, the unknown but never the less, ridiculously formidable God of Creation. The god that had created all other gods and Kai's that now existed.

And Seodisa was not a friendly or benevolent personality.

King Yemma found himself unable to control himself properly as he ascended the simple, undecorated pathway that led to the rather, plain house on top of a massively steep hill. They only clues that he was in the presence of a God was that the ridiculous hills gave way to oblivion, a black mist that would consume any soul that should stray from the simple golden path that led from the Palace of the Great Kai's to the World of Chaos that Seodisa had carved his home from. A large cherry blossom tree, in full magnificent bloom flourished over the rather homey-looking house. Made from wood and stone with a shingled roof and covered in luscious looking creepers. A small stone birdbath in the middle of the well tended garden was alive with splashing of several tiny finch like birds, who lent their beautiful voices to the otherwise quiet world.

King Yemma hesitated before the tiny white picket fence gate, looking down at it. He was as tall as the house was, and he could crush the entire building with a few well placed strikes, but to him, this place was beyond terrifying. As if to answer his unsureness, the tiny white picket fence gate opened to admit him. As he stepped into the garden, the tiny golden and blue finches retreated to the boughs of the huge cherry blossom tree, twittering their protests loudly. King Yemma followed their animated motions, fascinated by their simple beauty.

"Good Evening King Yemma." Yemma jumped, startled by the sudden voice, and accidentally squashed a small section of Snap Dragons that had been growing alongside the path.

"Oh, I'm sorry, your grace..." King Yemma said, his voice weak, even to himself. He turned to the Great god of gods, who chose to appear before King Yemma as a man with incredibly long thing limbs and long spiked hair the shade of lavender. His skin was patterned with blue glowing lines that symbolized his hidden power. The face of Seodisa was completely un-readable, his features though, were soft and pleasant to look upon. His eyes, the only thing that revealed his incredible age and power, were incredibly sharp in the lilac color, and Yemma knew that the great god, missed nothing.

"I trust you are well?" Seodisa's voice was soothing, calming and slightly musical. His voice, like his face, held no true emotion, except the hind of amusement.

"I... Yes, your Grace. I came as soon as you summoned me." King Yemma blurted out. Seodisa's stared at King Yemma, for what felt like an eternity, his incredibly long thing arms down by his side.

King Yemma felt himself breaking under the pressure of Seodisa's unnerving gaze. It was as if Seodisa had simply plucked Yemma off a book shelf and opened him up to read. Finally Seodisa looked away, turning his attention to the tiny finches, who had silenced themselves, watching the two men.

"Do you understand the concept of Absolution?" The sudden question, asked so casually caused Yemma to baulk, and stammer, his composure laying in broken shards.

"I... Ab.. Er... I... What?" Yemma found himself unable to stop himself from asking.

"Absolution. The power of divine forgiveness. The only true Absolute is me. Do you know what kind of power that is? The marks and sins of a soul, wiped away forever with a mere word from me. Absolution. It is a power that many don't appreciate."

"My Lord?" Yemma asked, feeling his beads of sweat tracing lines down his overly red face. Seodisa turned his gaze back to Yemma, any hint of amusement, gone.

"I asked you to grant the return of a particular body and soul, return to the world from whence he came. I asked this of you, because of my power of Absolution. I chose to give the man a second chance at life."

"Y...Y...Yes, your grace... And he was returned to planet Earth several days ago..." Seodisa held up his long thin fingered hand, silencing King Yemma. Seodisa's other wisely handsome face turned a little cruel as he broke into a merciless grin, revealing his unusually pointed teeth.

"Yes, you did as I asked. Now I want you to grant another soul safe passage into the mortal realm. Can you do that, King Yemma?" Seodisa's voice was suddenly cold and deadly.

"I... Of course, your grace... May I ask, who?"

"Me, King Yemma. I wish to walk the mortal world." Seodisa's response was shocking, and King Yemma could only stare and stammer soundlessly for several minutes, before he finally regained some semblance of composure.

"But... Why?!" Seodisa grinned, his eyes narrowing, becoming pointed purple slits, his face, suddenly twisted and cruel.

"Because, my Absolution, is not indefinite."


End file.
